Impossible : ABC Families new show Greek
by gizmo8us
Summary: when Casey is hurt again, she turns to the only person she can't seem to stay away from. CappieCasey
1. Chapter 1

She was completely helpless and she hated that feeling more than anything in the World. He caused her to feel like this. He made it impossible for her to do what she knew she should do. He made it impossible for her to stay away from him. Impossible to turn around and walk the other direction.

She glanced over her shoulder briefly, looking for anyone that was paying her too much attention. She had to be cautious. If her friends found out what she was doing she would be ruined. Everything she worked so hard for would be gone. Her life a shambles, but turning around was beyond her ability. Impossible.

The word seemed to describe everything about her attraction to the man. She shouldn't want to be in his arms. She shouldn't want to feel him pressed against her. He didn't fit with what she wanted out of life. He didn't fit with her at all... and yet when they were together, everything felt exactly right, perfect.

How could something so totally impossible, feel so wonderful ? When they were together she could be who she wanted to be. He didn't expect anything from her. He loved her for who she was, not who everyone thought she should be. He was freedom and acceptance and she carved both of those things like water and air.

Her beige heels sounded on the pavement leading to his door and she tried her best to walk softer, attempting to halt the noise. Finally, she reached down and plucked both shoes off, carrying them in her arms as she continued up the walk.

Once she reached the huge, columned front porch, she ducked to the left and went quickly around the side of the house. She grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and pushed the top name on her contact list. It only rang once before a quiet voice answered.

" Rusty, I'm at the side door, the one off the den. " she whispered into the phone. " Come let me in."

" What ? " her younger brother asked, confusion clouding his voice. " Use the front door. "

" I can't do that. Just come let me in. " she insisted.

" Casey, No one cares if you come to see me. " he replied.

" I'm not here to see you, Rusty. Now let me inside. "

" Then, " he paused clearly trying to figure out what was going on. " Who are you here to see ? Why are you being so secretive ? "

" Rus, please, don't do this right now. It's really none of your business who I'm here to see. All you need to know is that I don't want anyone to know I'm here and I'm asking for your help with that. Please. I don't ask you for anything. Just do this for me. " she answered, trying to keep the pleading tone out of her voice.

He paused for a moment before answering. " I'll be right there. Everyone is asleep so no one will know you're here. "

" Thank you, Rusty. I really appreciate this. " She clicked the phone shut and waited anxiously, attempting to hide in the shadows of the side of the massive Frat house. If she just kept still, no one would notice her, she hoped.

Where the hell was he ? She got her answer as the door opened softly and her brother stuck his light brown head of messy curls out.

He wordlessly ushered her inside and shut and locked the door behind her. " Now, tell me what you're doing here. " he demanded.

She slumped her shoulders and sighed. " I don't want to tell you. There is just someone I need to talk to. I can't really explain it. "

Rusty failed to hide the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, making his face even more youthful. " He's alone, last I saw anyway. I assume you know the way. "

Casey blinked rapidly trying to feign innocence. " Who's alone ? "

" Cappie. Last time I saw him he was studying in his room. " he smirked even wider at her unbelieving look. " I know I thought the same thing. But that's what I saw. "

" Thank you, Rus. I promise someday, I'll return the favor. " she whispered.

" And what favor is that exactly ? " he asked, stopping her from her retreat.

" What do you mean ? "

" What are you doing here, dressed like that, in the middle of the night ? " he gestured to her outfit with a quirked eyebrow.

She glanced down at her light pink linen sun dress that hit her mid thigh and showed off more than a little cleavage. Her beige heels were still perched in her hands. She had chosen to wear her hair down, because she remembered it was how Cappie liked it. Actually to be honest she had chosen the entire outfit with him in mind. The dress was one he had commented on before, the hair was his preference. She was even wearing to small gold locket he had given her on Christmas, the year they were together.

She had dressed for Cappie and it had taken her hours to put everything together. But she wasn't about to admit that, especially not to her little brother. " I've been wearing this all day. What's wrong with it ? "

" Casey, you know I'm not stupid. I want to know what all this is about. " he sighed at her effort to sound casual.

" Why do you care ? What's it matter to you ? " she snapped, tired of talking to him.

" I care about you and I care about him. If this is some kind of midnight booty call, Please don't go up there. It isn't fair. "

" I am not here for a booty call. " she insisted. " I have Evan. Why would I be here for that ? "

" That is exactly my point. You have Evan. You don't want Cappie. Don't play with him. He isn't always rational, especially when it comes to you. " he explained.

" What makes you say that ? Why especially when it comes to me ? "

" Come on, are you blind ? That torch he's lugging around is big enough to light up campus, maybe even the entire city. You can't tell me you can't see that. "

" Please, " she waved him off. " He has a list of women longer than my arm. "

" Yeah, but you're the only one he really cares about. "

His words stung and she blinked to clear away the feeling. " This really isn't any of you business. Thank you for letting me in. Now go back to doing whatever you were doing and pretend you never saw me. "

With that, she turned and stalked away as quietly as she could.

His door was closed. She was taking a huge risk, standing at the end of the hall, no where to hide if someone approached, but she couldn't keep herself from pressing her ear against the cool wood, listening for any sound from inside.

A radio was playing softly, too softly for her to make out what song was playing but loud enough to know it was music of some kind. She smiled, remembering how he always slept with it playing, tuned to the local college station. She recalled vividly all the nights she spent laying in his arms, listening to the soft droning of whatever song was on and wishing the night would never end.

Deciding she had pushed her luck as far as she could, she eased the door opened soundlessly and peered inside. She was met with nothing but blackness and if she hadn't known the room so well she wouldn't have attempted to go inside. But she did know the room. She knew unerringly where every piece of furniture was placed, where every pile of clutter lay. And she knew exactly where the room's occupant was, laying in the middle of the queen sized bed, wearing only a pair of plaid boxers, curled on his side, most likely clutching a pillow.

She eased inside and shut the door without a noise, making sure she locked it behind her. Then she silently placed her shoes right inside the door and tip toed to the bed.

Once she felt the side of the mattress against her thigh, after stumbling over a random pile of clothes and almost falling, ruining the entire adventure before it even began, she sat down slowly.

The weight on the bed caused a slight movement from Cappie, who was just as she pictured, curled on his side, pillow pressed against his bare chest, brown hair falling into his eyes, lighted only by the sliver of moonlight that escaped through the heavy navy curtains covering the window.

He sighed contentedly and a slow, sleepy grin spread across his handsome face. She fought against the urge to brush away the strands of hair that fell into his eyes. " I must be dreaming. " he mumbled almost too quietly for her to hear and she realized his eyes were slightly opened.

" I need to talk to you. " she whispered.

He glanced to the alarm clock on a small round table beside the head of the bed and smiled even wider. " At three in the morning ? "

" It couldn't wait. " she muttered.

She watched him sit up and move closer to her. Her eyes screamed in protest as he flipped on the lamp sitting beside the clock and he rubbed at his own eyes as they adjusted to the light. " Is everything alright ? Did something happen ? " He was wide awake now and obviously had taken her somber mood as a cause of alarm. All sleepiness was gone from his face as he rested a hand on her bare shoulder. " What is it ? "

She brushed off his concern with a shrug and for some reason, felt the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes. " I just needed to see you. " she managed. " to talk to you. "

" About what ? " he asked, still with a worried look furrowing his brow.

" I don't know. But I couldn't stay away. " she answered truthfully.

He smiled finally. " You don't know what you just had to talk to me about at three in the morning but you couldn't stay away ? "

She nodded in agreement. " I know it sound ridiculous. "

" Actually it sounds just right. " he answered smugly. " Did you have a bad day ? Maybe a fight with Evan ? There's obviously something wrong. " he continued to push.

She gave him a defeated look. " I did have a bad day, but that isn't why I came. "

He brushed a wayward strand of honey blond hair from her shoulder, wrapping his fingers in it, letting it side through them distractedly. She didn't think he even realized he was doing it, his eyes were still glued to her face. " If you didn't have a fight with Evan, shouldn't you be with him ? " he asked, after a moment of silence.

She pulled back and turned to face him more fully. " I should be, but I didn't want to be. "

His eyes held hers for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he looked away and his shoulders slumped visibly. " So why me instead ? "

Her eyes strayed down his muscular chest and rested at the place where a trail of light brown hair started just above his navel and continued until it disappeared into his boxers. " I don't know. I just know there wasn't any place I wanted to be more. " she admitted, refusing to raise her eyes to his, eyes that still stung with unshed tears.

He moved closer and raised her face to his with a single finger under her chin. " Shouldn't that tell you something, Casey ? "

She still refused to meet his eyes, trying to look everywhere but at him. " You're right. It does tell me something, but I'm too exhausted to analyze what right now. Could you please just let me lay here with you for a while ? I promise to be gone before anyone wakes up in the morning. No one will find me here. "

He chuckled and brushed her cheek with the same finger. " You know I don't care if any one finds you here. That's your issue, not mine. I'm glad you're here. "

" So you don't mind if I stay ? " she asked, uncertainly.

He laughed. " Of course not. How could I mind ? You know you're always welcome in my bed. "

She gave him a wilting look, but couldn't keep it in place long enough for it to be too threatening.

" Do you maybe have a shirt I could borrow for a while ? "

He let his eyes fall down, staring so hard it felt like a physical touch. He took in every detail, lingering on her breasts and particularly on the locket hanging between them. His hand reached out and he held it between his fingers, examining it closely. " Does he know where this came from ? "

She felt a smile forming for a moment before his words hit her and it disappeared before it made it to her lips. " I don't want to talk about Evan. "

He dropped the necklace and shrugged. " Well, at least you know what you don't want to talk about. "

" Please, don't make this difficult. I'm here, isn't that enough ? " she pleaded. Her voice sounding far away and small.

" I thought it would be for a while. But now I don't know. " he muttered and she watched him struggling for what he was trying to say. " I thought I wanted you however I could have you. Thought it wouldn't matter to me, if Evan was still around. But I don't know now. I mean, it's like he's always in the room whenever we're together. Like he's some kind of shadow that's always with you. "

She looked at him, completely puzzled. " I'm trying to figure everything out right now. I'm just so stressed out right now. I don't know what I'm doing. "

" What you're doing is making us both crazy. " he reached for her and brought her against him, so quickly that she lost her breath for a moment. " You know this is where you belong, where you really want to be. Why are you fighting against it so hard ? "

She let herself relax against his chest, lost in the feeling of his arms around her again. " This is about more than what I want, you know that. This is about my future. I could be president of the Sorority. Do you know how many opportunities could come from that ? "

His chest jumped as he chuckled deep in his throat. " Yeah, I know. But if they only want you because Evan comes with the package, do you really want them ? "

His words sunk into her brain and she rested her small hand against his broad chest and sighed. He was completely right, of course. " Cappie, " her voice was muffled around his chest, " Could you just hold me for tonight and let me figure out what it means in the morning ? "

" Absolutely. " he answered. " You know where everything is, make yourself comfortable. " He let her go, somewhat reluctantly, she noted. " I'll even close my eyes while you change. "

She gave him a skeptical look as she stood and crossed to the wide dresser in the corner.

" Oh, I'm going to peak, of course, but I'll let you think I'm not if it makes you feel better. " he stated honestly at her look.

She laughed and retrieved a yellow t-shirt that she had worn before from his drawer. She undressed and redressed as quickly as possible, trying to keep herself as hidden as she could manage. His sharp intake of breath as her dressed dropped to the floor, told her he was being true to his word and peaking shamelessly.

Once dressed in nothing but the shirt, she flipped off the lamp and returned to the bed, sliding silently under the pale blue comforter that still covered one half of the bed. " How can you be under the blankets in this heat ? " he asked, scooting closer to her and wrapping his arms around her waist once she settled.

" I'm cold, " she answered. " I'm always cold for some reason. "

They were silent for a moment and she thought he might have fallen back asleep except for the shallowness of his warm breath against the nape of her neck. It was something that drove her crazy and she was very aware that he knew it.

She nudged him, deciding she wasn't in the best position and he responded immediately, turning to his back and pulling her to him once again. She nestled her head against his chest and started making small circles on his skin with the tip of her finger. His hand reached up and began moving effortlessly through her long hair.

" I've missed you. " he mumbled into the darkness.

She raised her head to look into his face, once again lit only by the ray of blue light sneaking in from the curtain. And realized just how comforting and familiar everything was. " I've missed you, too. "

" This is college, Casey. You do realize that, right ? " he asked, out of no where, catching her off guard.

" Of course I know we're in college. What does that have to do with anything ? " She was truly perplexed by his outburst.

He pulled away from her and scooted down in the bed until he was even with her face, staring into her eyes, blue eyes meeting hazel and she feared he was about to kiss her. Then she almost choked on air when she realized it wasn't fear she was feeling, but anticipation. She suddenly found herself wanting nothing more than to feel his lips against hers.

But he didn't kiss her. He just looked at her. She did her best to keep the disappointment out of her eyes. " What I'm trying to say is that it shouldn't be this hard yet. "

" What shouldn't be this hard ? What are you talking about ? "

His voice raised in level as he struggled to define what he wanted to tell her. " Life, life shouldn't be this hard yet. We have our whole life for things to be complicated and to do things we don't want to do. Right now, this is just college. Our last chance to be and do exactly what we want. "

She looked at him with an entirely new understanding, seeing something in him for the first time, something she had overlook before. The spark in his eyes beamed as he finally put voice to all the things he had been trying to say, like a light switch being flipped. " I don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life and I don't want to waste my time here at school. I want to learn all the things I'll need to know for the real world. " he continued. " But more than that, I want to take this last opportunity to be whoever I want and to be with whoever I want. "

When she said nothing he sighed, his mood deflating faster than a tire with a hole in it and she felt a twinge of regret that she was the one to cause the light to dim. " I understand what your saying, but my real life has already begun. Evan could very well be a part of that. What if I'm making a terrible mistake by walking away from him ? " she explained. " I need that security, knowing he's there. "

" Are you saying you're thinking about marrying him ? " he demanded, disbelief written clearly on his face even in the bare light.

" I don't know." she hesitated at his reaction. " That was the plan, yeah. "

" Oh, Casey. You can't marry him. He's an asshole. He treats you like dirt. He cheated on you. He doesn't love you. " Cappy broke into a tyrant and she finally put her hand out to stop him.

" He does love me. He may not show it all the time, but he does. And I didn't say I was marrying him tomorrow, but maybe someday down the line. " She paused. " Where do you see yourself in ten years ? "

He blinked and instantly looked shocked at her question. " I don't know. But I know where ever it is, you're there with me. So I guess, in ten years I see myself with you.. "

She stared at him in amazement.

" I don't want to be without you, Casey. " he continued, moving closer to her. She could feel his breath against her lips and the smell of cologne assaulted her senses. " I love you. I always have. "

She caught something in his eyes that stopped her cold. He wasn't just saying what he knew she wanted to hear to get her to have sex with him.

That was how she always thought of Cappie. A player. Using girls and throwing them away when he was done with them. She had never seen him seriously involved with any of the barrage of women he brought into this very room. She had actually never seen him serious about anything and that gave her more pause than anything else. He seemed so determined not to grow up. But after hearing him talk about the future, she understood that wasn't what he was doing at all. He was simply seizing all life was offering him right now, before real life, adult life, crushed him under its weight. He was making the most of whatever time he had left to be young and impulsive, to have fun and enjoy everyday. How could she find fault in that when that was all she wanted to do as well ? He was living the life she wanted to live. She couldn't possibly blame him for that.

But still saying he loved her... It seemed unfathomable that he could have such deep feelings about anything. He thought her work with the Zeta Beta Zeta house was silly and she took it too seriously. He thought Evan was ridiculous for being the same way with the Omega Chi's.

Yet here he was president of Kappa Tau, doing exactly what they were doing, just having much more fun at it. She couldn't just let that fact go and she couldn't let him claim to love her when she was reasonably certain he wasn't capable of such grown up notions.

" How can you say that ? " she finally asked. "After all the girls you've paraded in and out of this room. A new one every weekend. How can you claim to love me ? "

He laughed and it shocked her. She wasn't expecting that reaction. " Those girls are only here because I have a reputation to uphold. "

" Exactly. " she stated confidently, knowing he had just made her point for her. " You say this all means nothing, the Sororities and Fraternities, but you are just as guilty of all of it as Evan and I are. You just don't act like it. "

He cocked an eyebrow at her, as if considering her words carefully. Then he smiled again. " What you're not understanding in all this, is that this Fraternity is what I do because you left me. Besides, you know the Kappa Tau's, all we do is party. That's are reputation, our legacy. "

His words were like a physical thing, set down between them, almost making her jump at the abruptness of its appearance. " What are you talking about ? You were involved in this before we ever broke up. "

" Not this involved. " he answered, gesturing at the cushy private room, which she knew was the biggest in the house and a perk of being the President of the Fraternity. " I only joined the fraternity because I knew this is where the drinking and partying happened. That's why I came to college. I wasn't here to start my future. I was here to enjoy my childhood a little longer. Then you came along. " His voice lowered. " Everything changed after that. "

She reached up to brush a stray hair from his brow and something registered in his eyes once again, making her wonder if she should have made the move.

" I threw myself into this Fraternity because you left me. I needed something to fill the hole where you had been and this fit it reasonably well. And the girls I bring through here, they are nothing but a substitute for you. Not one of them compares to you. None of them even comes close. "

She thought about that for a long time. Her psych class would call that classic transference. He was keeping himself from feeling bad by making sure he didn't have time to feel anything. He kept busy with school and endless partying. Never slowing down, never taking a minute to feel as miserable as he really was. This was something she never thought about before. But it was there. He was telling her the truth and that shocked her more than anything. His honesty was frightening. Never had they been that open with each other, even when they were together. They concentrated on having fun, never allowing themselves to think about what they really meant to each other too hard.

" Cappie, I know you think you love me, but we are so different. How could you possibly love me ? I'm completely wrong for you. "

He didn't answer her. Instead he leaned closer and brought her body as close to his as he could with a firm arm around her waist. His lips descended on hers, catching her by surprise and making her gasp into his mouth. This only caused him to tighten his grip, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hip just on the verge of pain and deepen the kiss, pressing harder. His tongue parted her lips and she let him without hesitating, inviting him into her mouth willingly. He brushed across the roof of her mouth, grazed over her teeth and she tasted him, like water to someone dying of thirst, like chocolate, like the most magnificent thing she had ever tasted.

The familiarity of him resounded in her head. _This is what a kiss should feel like_, her brain screamed at her. _This is what it should taste like_.

When he pulled back for a much needed breath, she stared at him, surprised by his sudden absence. It was like being suddenly drenched in freezing water.

" How can you possibly say we aren't right for each other ? " His breathing was ragged as his eyes raked across her face. " Can you tell me Evan has ever made you feel like I do ? "

She could barely register his words as his voice alone, low and gravelly, blew across her skin like satin. " No, " she managed after a moment when she realized he was waiting for an answer.

" Then, " he lowered his head to her neck and let his breath breeze across the tender flesh. " How could this not be right ? "

She took a deep breath as she finally realized what he was saying and brought her hands to his shoulders, pushing him back far enough that she could think again. " There is so much more to consider. There's more to it than just wanting you. "

He took her hand and turned it so that he could lay a warm, wet kiss to her palm before locking her eyes with his again. " That is such bullshit and you know it. Nothing is more important than this. Love is everything. It's what it's all about. " he insisted, his voice still low. " Can you honestly say that you love Evan and not me ? "

She closed her eyes as his tongue trailed from her palm to her wrist and he began to suckle at the pulse point there. Once again it was something he knew drove her wild and she was finding it hard to think rationally. Her body told her to just say yes, she loved him and wanted him and beg him not to stop. But her head still hesitated. She didn't want to use him again. She couldn't let herself hurt him, especially now that she knew how he felt. It would be cruel. She was so confused. The only thing she knew in that moment was that Evan never inspired the kind of feelings in her that Cappie did and she was fairly certain he never would.

" Please, " she whispered, as his tongue snaked out to rest against the pumping pulse in her wrist.

He let go of her hand and pulled back to look at her face. " Please, what, Casey ? Do you really want me to stop ? "

His gaze penetrated her brain, dark and seductive, watching her so intently it made her self-consciously look away.

God, she so did not want him to stop. She needed this. She needed to feel this wanted, this needed. She wanted nothing more than to draw him to her again and feel his lips again, kissing her the way she wanted to be kissed, needed to be kissed.

" I just don't know. " she said, honestly. " I don't know what I want. "

His hand grazed a trail up her arm, stopping at her shoulder to draw the hair back from her skin. Then his mouth was there, leaving wet, luscious kisses against her flesh. " Yes, you do. " he whispered, his lips brushing her skin as they moved. " Just tell me to stop and I will. "

She let herself indulge in the feeling he was creating in her, letting her mind go fuzzy and unfocused, until he started to pull at the collar of her shirt, his shirt, trying to get at the skin hidden underneath.

" Wait, " she panted, pushing at him again.

He stopped and pulled back from her, taking his body completely away from her this time, leaving her feeling cold and abandoned. Her stomach flopped as she thought he might be leaving her for real this time. She didn't want that. She just had to make him understand. " Don't go. "

He sighed, making his shoulders shake. " You don't want me to stop ? " he asked.

" No, " she said truthfully. " God, no. I don't want you to stop. But I still don't know what this means. "

" It doesn't have to mean anything. " he answered. " It means just that for once, you're letting yourself have what you want. "

" But that isn't fair to you. You say you love me. How can you be okay with having me tonight, knowing that tomorrow I might go back to Evan and pretend this never happened ? "

He smiled. " I was wrong. I'll take you however I can get you. And you will never be able to pretend this never happened, anymore than you could forget all the other times. I know you better than that. Whenever you're with him, I'm always there, too. A little part in the back of your mind, screaming that he isn't enough for you. " His voice was smug and confident and she realized he was right. She understood what he was doing. He wanted to show her exactly what she was missing out on with Evan. Make her see how he could make her feel. Forcing her to decide if she was really strong enough to walk away from him.

He leaned towards her and she stopped him again. " I can't do this. " her resolve clear on her face. " This is wrong to you and to Evan. "

" Casey, I know very well what I'm getting into here. I know you're confused and don't know how you feel and I promise if Evan was in this situation with someone else, he wouldn't hesitate. Do I really need to remind you of Becca ? " he asked, with a touch of pain in his voice and that really surprised her. He was hurt because she had been hurt.

" I don't need to be reminded of Becca, thank you." she chided. " But I already got even with him for that. "

" Got even with him ? Are you listening to yourself ? This isn't a battle, a competition to see who can hurt the other one more. And let me remind you that it was me you ran too when he hurt you that time. " His voice was rising again. " Me who you ran to when you were in pain and needed someone. "

Understand suddenly hit her like an anvil dropped from the sky. " You knew. That night I found you in the bar. You knew he cheated on me and you let me seduce you. "

His eyes clouded and he looked away. " I wanted to be there for you and I knew that was the only way you'd let me. "

She touched his cheek tenderly, amazed at how deeply he apparently did care about her.

It was her that leaned in this time, kissing him tenderly, gently. It was also her that pulled him close, plastering her body against his, letting her curves mold into the contours of his chest.

But it was him that pulled away. " Please, Casey, For God's Sake, if you are going to stop me again, tell me now. I'm only human after all and you're killing me. " he pleaded with her.

" I don't want to stop. " she assured him with a soft kiss to his collarbone. " I want you to hold me, Cappie. " She pecked at his Adam's apple when it bob as he swallowed loudly. " Show me exactly what I'm missing. "

His lips were on hers, taking her breath with the sudden shock of movement. His hands pulled through her hair, tangling his fingers in her blond tresses. He crushed into her, intent that this time there would be no stopping him. He knew she wanted him and he wasn't going to let her back away again.

Her name tumbled from his lips as he peppered her throat with quick kisses. His lips regained hers once again and she felt herself falling into the abyss of not thinking about anything but him and the sensation he was causing in her.

She pushed him away from him and saw the confusion written on his face. He almost protested but stopped as she reached down and pulled the t-shirt over her head, tossing it away from her, leaving her naked before him. His eyes trailed down her body, shrugging away the comforter that had covered her so he could see her fully. They lingered on her amble breasts, then resumed their journey taking in every detail of every curve of her body. His hand followed close behind, with the most feathered touch possible, making her wonder if he was actually making contact at all.

She was helpless to stop the groan that escaped her lips as his fingers flitted across her hip. A soft smile played on his lips.

" I've missed you so much, Cas. " His arms wrapped around her, drawing her petite body even further against his and he shifted, pulling her under him.

She clutched at his broad, muscled shoulders as his head dipped to her breast, sliding over every inch of skin he could get to.

His mouth was poised to take a nipple into his mouth when an insistent knocking started at the door.

He choose to ignore it and continued to descend, pulling her erect nipple into his mouth and letting his tongue slid over it.

The knocking persisted even as she arched her back, driving her breast further into his mouth.

" Cappie. I need to talk to you. "

Casey froze as she recognized her younger brothers voice on the other side of the door.

" Spitter ! " Cappie exclaimed, dropping her breast from his mouth.

" What the hell do you want, Rusty !? " Casey spat, grabbing the shirt from the floor and tossing it on quickly.

Cappie shook his head in resignation, and threw on a pair of shorts from the floor on his way to the door. " Something better be on fire and it better be something important ! " he snapped as he opened the door a crack.

" I need to talk to you. " Casey heard her brother say quietly.

" I'm kind of in the middle of something right now. Can this wait until tomorrow ? " Cappie answered with a dangerous tone to his voice.

" I know what you're in the middle of and I think you're making a huge mistake. " he continued undaunted.

Cappie opened the door and took a step out. She watched him put his hand on Rusty's shoulder and turn him back down the hall.

" This is so none of your business. " He told him.

Rusty turned back and glanced at her over Cappie's shoulder. " This is my business. That's my sister. You're my friend. That makes this my business. "

" Look, Pledge. I get that Casey is your sister. And your concern for me is touching, really it is but you have no idea what is really happening here. Leave now and I won't ban you from the house permanently. " The older man threatened.

" Did you just pull the Pledge rank on me ? " Rusty asked, suddenly realizing how serious his friend was.

" Yeah, I did. " He lowered his voice, Casey guessed to keep her from overhearing them. " You have no idea what you are interrupting here. Leave it, now. "

Rusty's voice was lower as well, she had to strain to hear. " I don't want either of you to get hurt. "

" I love her, Man. Don't you get that. Would you rather her be with me or Evan ? "

" Well, you of course, but you don't know that she isn't going to go right back to him tomorrow. "

" Spitter, I know what I'm doing here and so does Casey. Just leave it. "

" Just don't hurt her, Cappie. "

" She isn't really the one in danger of that at this point, Spitter. But don't worry. I won't hurt her. "

Casey settled back, pretending that she wasn't listening so intently as Cappie returned to the room and shut the door behind him.

He was back at the bed in one long leap, drawing her to him, pressing her against his chest. " Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted ? "

Casey smiled sweetly and pulled away from him. " Somewhere I don't think we had any business being actually. "

Disappointment clouded his eyes and his smile fell instantly. " What ? No, Casey, Please don't do this. "

She touched his cheek sweetly. " I don't want to hurt you. " she whispered.

" Leaving now is going to hurt me. " he answered.

" Coming here at all was selfish. I was using you and I'm sorry. "

She made to stand, but stopped as he grabbed her arm. " Please, Casey. " His tone stunned her, making her turn back to him quickly. " Don't leave me now. "

" Until I know for sure what I want, I shouldn't be here. " she insisted.

" At least stay the night. I won't try anything again, I promise. " He sounded so small and weak and she realized suddenly that he needed her as much as she needed him.

She eased back into the bed and watched as he slid off his shorts and tossed them to floor, before nestling himself against her back. " I love you. " he whispered. There was a shakiness to his voice that took her aback.

" I know. " she answered. " I really know now. I just need some time to think. "

He turned her to face him and kissed her cheek lightly. " Take all the time you need. I'll be here when your ready. "

She returned his kiss, pressing her lips to his gently, tenderly. " I see that now. "

She thought that after everything, she would never be able to sleep. Her mind would never stop moving over everything she had figured out. But as his breathing steadied, his chest falling rhythmically against hers, lulling her into relaxation. She concentrated on making her breath match his and before she knew it she was nodding off into the sweet release of slumber, nestled protected and safe in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Cappie was pacing across his spacious, recently cleaned bedroom. He had cleaned it in the hopes of Casey making another midnight appearance. It had been a week since she snuck into his room in the dead of night. A week since he had gotten to wake looking into her large hazel eyes. He hadn't been able to make himself wash his sheets. Her smell still lingered there, just barely, a hint of something you wouldn't noticed if it wasn't familiar. But it was very familiar to him and it was all he smelled every time he got into bed.

Trying to sleep was a nightmare. He woke periodically although the night, hoping to find her sitting on the side of his bed, brushing the hair from his eyes and telling him she needed him.

It was so unlike him to get this involved with anyone. He had made a point of keeping all his relationships casual. But she had come before that rule. She was the reason he made the rule.

Nothing in his life had ever affected him like Casey. She controlled his every thought. He called himself moving on without her. He told himself he was over her, but having her come to him in the night had changed all that. He knew now he would never be over her. All she had to do was snap her fingers and he came running, like a trained pet, begging for a treat.

He laughed as he pictured himself jumping at her feet, ready for any small sign of affection from her.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts and he yelled out a quick, " Come in. " .

Rusty stuck his head around the door hesitantly before coming completely inside and shutting the door behind him. " The party is really starting to move downstairs. A bunch of people have been asking about you. "

Cappie sighed and shrugged restlessly. " I'm not really in the mood to party. "

Rusty's eyes widened in surprise but he didn't say anything.

" Why aren't you down there ' shaking your groove thing' ? " Cappie asked, before the silence got too awkward.

" I was worried about you. I haven't seen you much this last week. Wanted to make sure everything was okay. " Rusty explained.

The older man nodded and smiled, touched by his concern. " Well, don't let me get in the way of your good time. I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind lately. "

" I kinda noticed. You haven't really been yourself. Anything I can help with or is it none of my business ? "

Cappie chuckled, his mood improving slightly. " Your sister is my problem, mostly. Anything you can do about that ? "

Rusty shook his head in defeat. " Not since she was four. "

Cappie imagined a four year old Casey with blond pigtails and frilly dress with her hands planted firmly on her hips, insisting that she got her way and he laughed out loud at the imagine. " I bet she was the cutest thing. "

" She was a horrible, mean, spoiled little brat. " Rusty corrected him. " But she was very cute. "

He paused before taking on a much more serious expression and drawing in a deep breath. " What happened the other night ? "

He thought about lying or telling him it was none of his business but he changed his mind even as his mouth was opening. He closed it and sat down at his messy desk. Rusty perched on the foot of his bed, watching him closely. " I don't know for sure. " he began. " I mean she was here and said she needed me and we kissed and I told her I loved her. "

" Did she say she loved you too ? "

" You know, Spitter, she never did. Here I was opening my soul to her and I don't think she ever actually said that she loved me too. She used to say it all the time. I'll never forget how it sounds coming from her lips. It's the greatest sound in the world. "

Rusty muttered, " I'll take your word for it. "

" Well, " Cappie smiled. " I guess it wouldn't be for you, but for me, I've never heard anything sweeter. "

" You really are gone. " the younger man answered with a bemused smile.

Cappie laughed. " I've been this way since the first time I saw her. She was just perfect. I'd never seen another girl like her. She's so beautiful and we had so much fun together, until the ZBZ's got their hooks in her. Evan didn't follow far behind and I knew the first time he looked at her that I'd lost. I just couldn't accept it at the time. "

Rusty stood and resumed the pacing Cappie had started early, he laughed as he noticed it was the exact same pattern he had been wearing in the carpet before Rusty arrived.

" You shouldn't accept it now either. " he began ranting. " You're three times the man Evan is and I'll bet you never cheated on her. "

Cappie chuckled, amused at seeing him so worked up. " Well, there really isn't much I can do about it. I mean, I can't force her to stop seeing Evan. I can't make her love me. "

Rusty spun on his heel and leveled him with a serious glare. " But you could try to win her back instead of just laying down and accepting that you lost. "

Cappie spun in his office chair and rested his elbows amongst the clutter on the desk, burying his head in his hands. " And how exactly do you propose I do that ? "

" I don't know but - " he was interrupted by another knock at the door.

Cappie looked up and called, " Come in, " again.

" Can I talk to you ? " Casey said, as she opened the door and burst into the room.

Cappie stood quickly and looked to Rusty.

" I'm going. " he called over his shoulder to the unasked request for him to leave. Then he paused at the door. " Be nice to each other. "

They both looked at him like he was insane before he left, closing the door firmly behind him.

" What's up ? " Cappie asked, sitting again.

" I just wanted to see you. You haven't really been around much. " she answered, taking her brother's spot on the foot of the bed.

" I've been busy with class. " he mumbled unconvincingly.

" Or, you've been avoiding me. " she offered as she shifted uncomfortably.

" Yeah, that could be it, too. "

" Why ? " she asked simply.

He sighed and threw his eyes to the ceiling resting the back of his head on his chair.

It occurred to him that he had tried honesty with her the other night and it hadn't mattered. He was tired of putting himself on the line for her and having it not make a bit of difference. He didn't want her to know that he had been pacing his bedroom, waiting desperately for her to show up again. The one thing she had left him with was his pride and he was determined to hold on to it as hard as he could, cling to it like a lifeline.

" I think we made a huge mistake the other night or almost did anyway and I didn't want it to happen again. " he lied.

She looked down to the floor and for the first time he thought he noticed lines running through her make up as if tears had flowed down her face at some point earlier. Looking at her red rimmed, blood shot eyes, he was certain and his resolve instantly dissolved.

" Are you okay ? " he asked, beside her before he even realized he moved. His arm went to her shoulder and he pulled her firmly to him. " What happened ? "

" He did it again. " she sobbed into his orange t-shirt. He could feel the wetness already causing it to plaster against his skin.

" He did what again ? "

" Evan and Becca. He had sex with Becca again. " she explained.

He tightened his grip on her shoulders and smoothed her hair while she continued to cry on his shoulder. His chest felt like it was gripped in a vise as he silently listened to her sobbing. He murmured useless, meaningless words as he tried unsuccessfully to sooth her. His mind spun into overtime with images of his fist connecting to Evan's face for hurting her, playing on a continuous loop.

" I'm sorry. " she sighed finally as the tide of tears began to ebb.

" For what ? " he asked, stunned.

" For coming here. For interrupting your party. I shouldn't have unloaded this on you. It isn't your problem. " she explained, pulling away and leaving a Casey shaped void of coldness where she had been.

He ran his hand through his hair, mussing it beyond repair but he was way past the point of caring. " You didn't interrupt my party. And please don't ever apologize for coming here. " he told her, turning her to face him. " But, Casey, come on. Doesn't the fact that you wanted to come here again, tell you something. Something you shouldn't stop ignoring. "

Her eyes, puffy and swollen, stared at him as if they were seeing him for the first time. Something past through them that he couldn't define and he froze, afraid if he moved she would jump up and leave him alone once again.

" You're right. " she whispered after a long moment spent simply looking at him. " It does tell me something. "

She leaned into him, curled her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, drew him to her and brushed her lips against his. He let himself sink into the kiss for a moment, realizing it was too good to be true before it even really began, but he couldn't stop himself from accepting at least a small taste.

As she pulled him deeper into the kiss, she began sucking on his tongue and his heart stopped, his breath hitched and his stomach turned over all at the same time. With more willpower than he ever thought himself capable of, he put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away.

" What's wrong ? " she asked, puzzled. " You said you wanted me the other night. You said you loved me. "

He forced a smile and pulled back even further, trying to put as much distance between them as he could. " I can't do this again, Casey. "

" What are you talking about ? I thought you wanted this. " Her eyes clouded over and she looked like she was about to cry again.

He put his arm around her and took her into the crook of his arm. " I can't be your Evan payback again. I'm sorry. I just can't. You're going to have to find some other way to get back at him this time. "

She turned her face up to him, her eyes wide and her mouth opened to protest.

" Please don't. I'm not strong enough to say no to you twice. " he told her, placing his finger against her lips.

" But you don't understand, Cappie. I'm done. I'm not going back to Evan. I don't care what it costs me. It isn't worth this. " she said, her lips moving against his finger.

Then she did something that he was helpless to resist. She pulled his finger into her mouth and sucked on it, letting her warm, moist mouth draw it in to the knuckle.

He threw his head back and closed his eyes, lost in the sensation she was creating. He felt himself responding to her instantly.

" I want us to start over. I want to try again. " she continued as she let his finger go, took his hand and turned it up in hers. Then she planted a slow, lingering kiss to his palm, her tongue snaking across his skin. She moved to his wrist and did the same, adding a bit of suction as well.

His opened his eyes and stared at her, completely taken off guard. This wasn't the usual Casey. Casey was shy and reserved in the bedroom. Not innocent, by any means, but certainly not this forward, this tempting. She was the type to use her appearance to drive men wild, not her skills. But as she slowly made her way up his arm, pausing to gently suck on the inside of his elbow, before continuing to his shoulder and collarbone, he realized she had obviously picked up a few tricks since she left him. It was more than he could handle. He was quickly losing his ability to say no to her at all. She was turning the tables on him, using tricks he used to seduce women, and God help him, it was working. Working faster and better than it had ever worked for him.

Using every bit of strength he possessed and some he wasn't even aware he had, he pushed her back from him, a trifle rougher than he intended and she teetered on the edge of the bed for a moment.

" I'm sorry. " he said, reaching out a hand to steady her. " But I can't do this. You don't know what you want. You just said that a week ago. "

" But I've thought about it, Cappie. You are what I want. " she protested.

He stood and started to pace, more to put some space between them than because he needed the movement. " I don't want you to want me because Evan screwed up. I want you to be here because you love me. "

She was watching him, he could feel her eyes on his back as he continued making laps from his desk to his bed and back.

" Why are you making this so hard ? " she asked finally.

He stopped and went to her, going to his knees at her feet. " How long do you think it will before you decide once again that I'm not mature enough for you, that I'm not what you really want ? A week, two. " He sighed and it shook his shoulders with its depth. " I'm not sure I can pretend you leaving me again is not a big deal. I'm not sure I can hide this time. "

" What do you want from me ? " she said, moving a few stray hairs from his eyes, where it had fallen, like it always did. " I'm telling you how I feel right now. I haven't been with Evan since we talked the other night. I've been avoiding both of you actually. " she smiled. " But when I found them together earlier, I noticed that it didn't bother me as much as it should have. "

He reached up and stroked the soft skin below her eye that was still so swollen and puffy. " It doesn't look that way. " he offered with a smile of his own.

She shook her head vehemently. " No, I was upset because of what he did. That he could do that to me again. But there was no jealousy like last time. Just hurt that he could betray me like that. And then something else occurred to me. " She touched his cheek softly. " In the entire year we were together, you never once cheated on me. You never even looked at another girl. You ! As immature and juvenile as you are, you never did that to me. "

" Of course not. Why would I have gone somewhere else when I had the best thing on campus with me ? I would have never done anything to mess that up. I never even wanted anyone else. " he agreed.

" And that is why I love you. " she told him.

The words rang in his ears over and over. There it was, those words coming from her lips once again. The sweetest sound in the world. It was all he had wanted for the last year and a half. All he dreamed about. Casey Cartwright loved him again.

His hands resting on her bare knees tightened their grip and he couldn't help the smile spreading across his face. He suddenly didn't care about tomorrow or next week. He wanted her and she wanted him and it was enough for him for now. He could worry about the rest later.

She leaned over and kissed him tenderly. " I'm sorry I left you. " she whispered. " I thought Evan was what I wanted. "

" You know being here and not with Evan probably annihilates your chances of being the president of ZBZ. " he warned her.

She pulled her hand through his hair, ruffling it even more and kissed him again. " I don't care. All I care about is you and how much I want you in my life again. "

He raised up and she was so petite it brought him almost even with her lips. She barely had to lean at all to kiss him again. His hands still rested on her knees and hers tangled in his hair, drawing him closer, deeper into her.

" Now will you please show me what I've been missing ? " she smiled, as the kiss broke.


	3. Chapter 3

Casey felt the goose bumps rising on her skin as Cappie's hands began a torturously slow journey to her thighs. His lips played against hers and she was completely lost in the familiarity of his touch. She found herself for once not wishing the kiss was deeper, or his touch firmer, like she usually did with Evan and a sudden realization hit her.

An epiphany of sorts actually. She had spent the last year wishing Evan was Cappie. Every time he touched her, she wished silently in the back of her mind that it was Cappie touching her. How could she have missed that ? How could she have not realized it earlier ?

" What ? " he asked, moving to rest on his heels as he looked at her critically.

" What what ? " she answered, not understanding.

" You drifted off for a minute there. Like you were thinking about something." he smiled. " I mean I don't want to intrude on your thought process, but we were kinda in the middle of something. "

She grinned. " I was just thinking about how much I love kissing you. " she admitted.

He threw his head back and gave a bark of laughter. " Then I really don't want to interrupt. Please go back to thinking. "

She joined him in laughter. " This feels so nice. "

" Yes it does. " He agreed leaning forward again and brushing the hair from her shoulder. " I'm so glad you're here. " Then he leaned back again, this time taking one of her feet in hand, resting it in his lap as he slipped her shoe off and tossed it aside. He repeated the motion with her other foot.

He brought the foot to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on the to of it. Then he moved to her ankle, taking a moment to sucked and nibble. His eyes were locked on her with a deep penetrating stare that rocked her almost as much as what his mouth was doing to her foot. He continued up her leg, kissing and licking at her skin as he moved with a leisurely pace that drove her crazy.

She gasped as he reached the tender flesh of the back of her knee and bit down gently. Her leg jerked in his hands. He held tight and continued his route.

Once he reached the edge of her skirt, he dropped her leg and took the other one, giving it the same treatment.

She leaned back, her hands behind her on the bed, bracing her and her head hanging slack. She felt her hair brush against her back where her shirt wasn't covering her and it only added to her aroused state. Her stomach flopped and her breathing hitched as he continued to play across every inch of her legs with his mouth. It was the sweetest, excruciating, torment she had ever endured. This was something Evan truly lacked. He never took his time like this. He never teased her to the point where she couldn't take anymore. He never adored her body this way. And that is what it seemed Cappie was doing, adoring her with his mouth, worshiping her with his soft touches.

It startled her when she felt him rise suddenly, resting a knee between hers on the bed and leaning over her possessively.

He kissed her, his tongue searching, drawing her out as his arms went around her and pulled her so tightly to him, she couldn't take a full breath. There simply wasn't room between them for her lungs to fully expand. She felt him sigh against her lips as her hands moved around him.

She rested her back against the bed for a moment before he stood and brought her along with him. Her eyes questioned his, but she soon understood as his hands moved to the hem of her shirt and he tossed it quickly over her shoulder. She returned the gesture, stripping him of his still wet t-shirt. They wordlessly divested each other of the rest of their clothing, letting their hands feel the naked flesh underneath the material as soon as it disappeared.

" You are just as perfect as I remember. " he whispered, taking in every inch of her.

She did the same, letting her eyes wonder over him, so different from Evan. His shoulders broader, his waist narrower. His muscles weren't quite as defined, but his skin held the bronze quality that said he spent most of his time outside in the sun.

She made to return the compliment but his kiss stopped her before she got the chance and suddenly he was easing her back to the bed, gently like he thought she might shatter any moment. He towered over her, letting his mouth once against taste her, his pace still so incredibly slow.

Her nails racked across his shoulder as he took her breast into his mouth, while his hand rested on the curve of her hip.

He was apply the same treatment to her other breast when an buzzing sounded from the pile of clothes on the floor. He threw his head back again and looked to the ceiling. " What is it about this breast ? " he asked, taking the offending mound of flesh in his hand. " Is there a button on here or something ? "

She laughed out loud, as he closely examined her for some sort of alarm that would bring on interruptions. " Just ignore it. " she told him, bringing his mouth back to her and kissing him.

And he tried, she could tell he really tried, just as she did, to ignore the ringing of her phone. But an annoyed grunt told her it wasn't working as the damn thing continued to ring.

She pushed him away from her and untangled the phone from her the pile. Just as she pushed the talk button, he was behind her, teasing her shoulder with his teeth.

" Hello. " she managed.

" Where the hell are you ? I've been looking everywhere. " Evan's voice boomed at her from the other end.

" Where I am is none of your business. " she answered, really annoyed at having to hear his voice while Cappie proceeded to nip at her neck.

" I want to talk about this. You shouldn't have run away like that. I can explain the whole thing. " he insisted.

A groan escaped from her as Cappie reached around and took her breasts in his hands, rubbing his thumb across her nipple as he took her free earlobe into his mouth and sucked furiously.

" Are you okay ? " Evan asked., his voice lowering.

" I'm fine. I'm wonderful actually. " she said, leaning her head back to grant Cappie easier access to her neck.

" Oh, my God ! You're with someone, aren't you ? " Evan bellowed. " Who is it ? "

" This is so not your concern anymore. " she breathed, barely able to pay attention to what he was saying.

" How is it not my concern ? You are still my girlfriend. I love you. "

" And it showed this afternoon when you were half naked with Becca. "

His voice dropped again and took on a pleading quality. " Nothing happened. I swear, nothing happened. She came on to me, but I made her back off. "

Casey leaned forward, shrugging away from Cappie's wandering hands for a moment. " It doesn't matter. I don't feel like fighting her for you anymore. She can have you. I just realized I don't want you anyway. "

" You're with him, aren't you ? " he asked, and she could tell he was gritting his teeth.

" I have no idea who you mean. " she lied, leaning back once again and letting Cappie surround her.

" I'll bet you don't. I'm coming over there. " he warned.

" Well, good luck with that. I have to go. " She wiggled against Cappie's firm chest and almost giggled as she added, " there is something pressing I should really attend to here. "

Before she had a chance to push the disconnect button, Cappie yelled out, " Bye, Evan. " in a sing song voice that really got her laughing.

She turned to face him and playfully slapped his shoulder, " You should be more careful. He's probably getting the entire Omega Chi house together to come here and rescue me. "

" Well, the way I see it is there are probably thirty, very drunk, very strong guys roaming around downstairs right now and I'm guessing if he brings a fight, they will be happy to oblige. And if it gets to out of hand, we just call campus security. " he lowered his eyes. " I'm so not afraid of Evan Chambers. Let him come. "

" Maybe you should be. " she answered, suddenly considering all the people she was involving in her problems.

" What ? " he asked, shock written on his face. " Why would I be afraid of him ? "

" I just don't want to cause problems. Maybe I should go and talk to him. " she offered, standing and beginning to retrieve her clothes from the floor.

" Casey, this is crazy. What could you possibly have to say to him that you haven't already said ? "

" I just don't want anyone else to fight my battles for me. " She pulled her shirt over her head and settled it quickly.

" Is that what you think I'm doing ? Letting everyone else fight my battles ? " He asked getting to his feet and grabbing his shorts from the pile.

" I didn't say that. " she answered, giving him a look that said he was being impossible.

" You didn't have to. You implied it. " he fumed.

" No, I didn't. This isn't even your battle. It's mine. I'm the one that needs to talk to him. " she explained, trying to calm him with a hand on his shoulder. " Just stay here. I'll be back in minute. It won't take long. "

He shook his head vehemently. " You are not going down there alone. Absolutely not. "

" I can handle Evan, Cappie. "

" So can I and that is exactly what I intend to do. I'm going to make sure he leaves you alone for good. " he announced, his chest swelling a bit with male ego.

She stopped herself before she laughed out loud at his bravado. " I don't need a hero. "

" Tough. " he insisted. " You've got one. "

He kept the serious face for a moment before breaking out in laughter. " I'll admit, not much of one. "

She laughed with him, putting her arms around his shoulders and hugging him close.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door and he broke away to answer it.

" What is it ? " he asked.

" The Omega Chi's are here, causing trouble. " The young man on the other side of the door answered.

Casey came up behind Cappie and placed her arm on his shoulder.

" Tell Evan... " he paused, thinking for a moment. " Tell him, we'll be down as soon as we get dressed. " he smiled smugly.

He shut the door and turned back to her, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her throughly. " So, This is interesting. "

" I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drag you into this. " Casey said, turning her eyes downward. " I shouldn't have come here and put all this on you. It isn't fair. Please just let me go and deal with Evan. "

" You aren't going down there alone. " he insisted. " It isn't going to happen. So give it up. "

She turned her gaze to him. " You don't understand. "

" What don't I understand ? I'm telling you I'm not afraid of him. "

" He won't hit me. He will not have the same feelings about you. " she explained with a loud sigh.

He chuckled. " He isn't going to hit me. He won't have a chance. Besides he isn't that brave. He just brought this fight to my turf. "

She chuckled as well. "Your turf ? What is this, ' West Side Story ? "

" If I go down there and everyone is singing and dancing, I'm leaving. " he laughed.

" I'm right behind you. I can't sing a note. " she joined him.

" I love you. " he said, suddenly serious.

" I love you, too. "

" You're sure this is what you really want ? Once we talk to him, there is no turning back. It could very well get pretty nasty. " he asked, considering her carefully.

She paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder at nothing in particular, fighting the smile as she watched the panic spread across his face.

" I'm kidding. " She let the smile go finally and added a snicker as relief replaced the panic. " I'm right where I want to be. "

He kissed her softly, a tender, sweet kiss that said so much more than any words he could have uttered.

A knock sounded again and he turned from her and pulled the door open quickly. " Yeah, yeah, we're coming. " he answered.

" There's trouble, Cap. One of the pledges got in Chamber's face and he knocked him out cold. " the guy on the other side of the door said with an edge of urgency to his voice. " He doesn't look so good. "

Cappie darted out of the room, dragging Casey behind him by the hand. " Where is Chamber's now ? "

They raced down the hall and continued down the stairs. " Outside. " the guy answered. " Beaver took him out. Got rid of most of his buddies, too. "

" Which pledge got hit ? " Casey asked from a step behind.

" Spitter. "

She stopped dead in her tracks and Cappie turned to her, pulling her close. " He'll be fine, Cas. He just got knocked out. I'm sure he's okay. " he assured her.

Her world spun in front of her suddenly and she could barely hear him over the pounding in her ears. " Where is he ? " she demanded in a cold quiet voice.

" In the den. We took him in there trying to get him to come around. "

" I can't believe he hit my brother. " She fumed as she raced off, this time dragging Cappie.

A huge crowd of men surrounded the leather sofa in the corner of the den and she had to elbow her way through until Cappie raised his voice above all the others and told them to move aside.

He was stretched out, one side of his innocent face swollen and mis-shaped. His body looked broken and crumpled where they had laid him on the couch, one hand hanging down, knuckles dragging the floor, the other resting on his chest.

She went to him quickly and knelt beside him. " Rus, " she whispered as she gingerly touched his red, puffy cheek.

" We were going to call an ambulance when we couldn't get him awake. But we don't know if we should. " the guy who had lead them offered.

" Why shouldn't you ? " Cappie demanded, coming up beside Casey and kneeling as well.

" He's underage and he's been drinking. We're already on probation for stealing that machine for the volcano. " he reminded him. " We'll be on suspension for sixty days if we have to call for help. "

He paused and watched as Cappie dragged his hand through his hair roughly. " I didn't want to do anything without your say so. "

" Did he hit his head ? " Cappie asked, scrutinizing Rusty carefully, trying to determine the extent of his injuries.

" Well, it hit the floor pretty hard when he fell. " one of the crowd offered.

Casey's eyes stayed glued to her brother's face as she listened to the exchange going on around her. She was sure that Cappie would tell them to call the ambulance any second now. Being on party suspension wasn't near as important as her brother's health.

The seconds past, ticking by slowly without him saying a word and concern started to grip her.

" Cappie ! " She exclaimed suddenly as she turned her face towards him.

" Alright, I know. " he told her. Before calling, " Call the ambulance. " over his shoulder.

The words were barely out of his mouth when a soft groan came from the couch and Rusty opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the harsh light.

" Wait on that ambulance. " Cappie yelled, with more than a little relief in his voice, which really annoyed her.

" Rusty. " Casey breathed, " Are you okay ? "

" I don't know. My head hurts. " he struggled until he was finally sitting with help from Cappie and Casey. " What happened ? "

" You apparently walked right into Evan's fist. " Cappie smiled, patting him on the shoulder. " You have got to start watching where you're going. "

" Oh yeah, I remember, " Rusty managed. " He came in here pushing people around screaming 'Where's that slut ? '. I tried to stop him from going up stairs but I guess he got me first. "

Casey stood wordlessly and started for the door. Cappie stopped her by brushing past her with a murderous look on his face and a determined stride in his step. Suddenly she found herself rushing after him, afraid of seeing him like Rusty had been moments before, in a broken, heap of twisted limbs, limp and lifeless.

" Cappie ! " she called finally realizing that she could never match his speed, he was practically running.

He halted in mid step and turned towards her. " He's gone too far, Casey. " he spat, leaving her no room for protest. " This isn't just about you anymore. " Then he turned again and was gone before she could say another word.

She stood in the dimly lit hallway leading between the front door and the den of the Kappa Tau house. Her eyes shifted from one direction where her brother lay hurt and bleeding, was he bleeding, she couldn't remember, and the other where the man she loved was confronting her ex-boyfriend. Her hands went to her eyes as she stood motionless, confused about what to do. She couldn't leave Rusty. How could she ? He was her brother. Whether she admitted it or not, she loved him. He was the baby. Always had been. Every instinct in her told her she had to protect him, stay by his side.

But she could talk to Evan before things got really bad outside. She had never seen Cappie look the way he had a moment before. His eyes were so dark, so filled with anger. Cappie never got angry. She wasn't sure what he would do now that that part him of was unleashed.

She made her decision and took off towards the front door as fast as her feet could carry her, pushing several drunken male bodies out of her way as the stood plastered to the living room window, watching the events unfold from a safe vantage point.

_Cowards_, she thought hastily. These were Cappie's brothers. People who should have had his back. And here they were hiding inside their big house.

She burst through the door and halted as her eyes fell to the lawn. Several people were standing around in a large circle yelling loudly and poking there chests out at each other, like a bunch of peacock's on parade. If it hadn't been such a frightening situation she would have thought it funny actually. The dynamic of the male ego displayed before her in living color. Testosterone on high alert.

She moved behind the crowd, ducking this way and that, trying to avoid flying elbows and huffy steps as the voices continued to shout. The noise was so deafening she couldn't make out any particular words and she couldn't image how they could either. Mostly, she guessed, they were yelling to hear themselves yell. It was a massive riot on the front lawn of one of the most popular Frat houses on campus. She was surprised the Campus police weren't already on the scene.

At last she caught a glimpse of orange t-shirt and she could hear Cappie's voice, more defined because it was familiar. " Leave this alone, Chambers. " he was yelling. " Do you have any idea what an ass your making of yourself ? She doesn't want you anymore. "

Casey came up between them and put her hand on Cappie's arm, stopping him, just as he started to lunge for Evan.

" You're going to try and pick a fight with me now ? " Evan blasted over her shoulder. " I didn't think she meant enough to you to fight for her. You didn't bother last time I took her from you. "

" Take your disciples and go home, Evan. " Casey tossed over her shoulder, her eyes still firmly fixed on the man in front of her, her hand still firmly on his arm.

" I'm not leaving without you. " he said, firmly.

" Oh, yes, you are. " Cappie hissed, taking a step closer.

" I'm not leaving with you, Evan. This is where I want to be. " she told him. Then she caught Cappie's eyes and managed to hold his attention for a moment. " We need to break this up now. The police will be along any minute. " she said, in a strong, calm, steady voice. " This has to stop. "

Cappie looked around as if seeing his surroundings for the first time. He took in the large group of people and the yelling. " It really takes a big man to bring all these people to fight his battles for him. " he spat at Evan. " Call 'em off, Chambers. This is between you and me and I want the chance to kick your ass before the cops come. "

Evan puffed up his chest and smiled smugly. " You think I need all these men here to fight you. " Casey watched him from the corner of her eye, trying to judge him. He turned to all the guys around him and raised his voice over the den of noise. " Omega Chi's, " he called, " Go home. We don't want any unnecessary trouble. "

The group seemed to halt instantly in whatever they were doing and looked at him as if trying to decide if he was serious. When he repeated himself, they began to take off in the direction of the Omega Chi house, if somewhat reluctant to leave their illustrious leader on his own in enemy territory.

" Everyone inside. " Cappie called in a loud authoritative voice.

The remaining men started towards the front door a bit dejectedly, realizing that the fun was over and all the bad guys were leaving.

The one they called Beaver came up to Cappie and touched his shoulder. " You sure you don't need any help ? " he asked, his voice gruff and harsh.

" No, I got this. There isn't really anything to help with. I'm done here. " Then he turned and started to follow everyone else inside.

" So what ? " Evan shouted, " That's it. You're just going to walk away. "

He halted his step, turned back to Evan and took Casey's hand from his arm, where it still remained until that moment.

" No, " Cappie answered.

He stepped up to Evan, close enough that they were nose to nose. She hadn't noticed before how much shorter Evan was until then.

And then it happened in the blink of an eye. One moment Evan was standing, staring back at Cappie as if daring him to make a move and the next he was on the ground clutching at a nose that was suddenly spurting blood all over the front of his shirt.

" That's for Spitter. " Cappie said, standing over him. He watched as Evan struggled unsteadily to his feet before raring back and hitting him again. " That was for making disparaging remarks against my girlfriend's character. " He leaned over where Evan had fallen once again to the ground and told him in a low, very serious voice, " Stay down until I get inside or I'm sure I can think of another reason to hit you. "

Evan looked up at him with blood still spouting from his nose, but he didn't try to get back up.

Then Cappie took Casey's hand and lead her inside.


	4. Chapter 4

Casey pushed past him as soon as they entered the house, her pace almost a run as she went to the Den as quickly as possible.

_One crisis down, _she thought wearily. This was turning out to be one the longest nights of her life.

Rusty sat exactly where she had left him, except that a pretty, young mousy blond haired girl sat beside him, rubbing his shoulder and talking to him quietly.

" Casey. " he called as he looked up at her and her stomach flopped at the sight of his swollen face. At least she had kept Cappie from getting hurt as well, she thought guiltily as she went to him and sat down.

" What were you thinking getting in Evan's way like that ? " she chided, touching his bruised eye with her fingertip.

He winced and pulled away from her. " Well, Mom, I thought I was protecting you. " Sarcasm laced his voice and she laughed when he smiled.

" I do not sound like Mom. " she argued. Then she cast her eyes over his shoulder and nodded, " Hi, Jenn. "

" Hey, How did it go outside ? Where's Cappie ? " she asked, returning the nod.

" Yeah, " Rusty agreed. " Where's Cappie ? He didn't get hit, too, did he ? "

" Ha, " Cappie answered as he entered the room. " As if Evan Chambers had a chance against me. "

He came and sat on the arm of the couch, resting his hand on Casey's shoulder for a moment before jerking it back quickly.

" Was that blood ? " Rusty asked, peering around Casey to try and get a look at Cappie's hand.

" It's nothing, Spitter. " he shrugged, still hiding his hand behind his leg. " You should be more worried about that eye. You won't be able to open it tomorrow. "

" I can barely open it now. " he admitted with a grimace that said it was painful as well. " So what happened to Evan ? Did he leave ? "

" Yeah, " Casey answered. " He was persuaded to go home. "

" Did his decision have anything to do with the hand Cappie is hiding behind his back ? " Jenn asked, leaning forward to see around Rusty who was still trying to look past Casey.

" It might. " Cappie said mysteriously.

Casey turned to him finally and grabbed his hand, dragging it from behind his leg. Her eyes widened as she carefully eyed the broken skin of his knuckles, trying to judge how badly he was hurt. " I thought this was Evan's blood. You didn't say anything about getting hurt. "

" It's fine, really. Don't make a fuss. " He pulled his hand back and waved away her concern.

" Evan's blood ! " Rusty exclaimed suddenly. " You made him bleed ? "

Cappie shrugged, " Maybe a little. "

Casey rolled her eyes and smiled. " He was gushing blood everywhere. I think he broke his nose. "

" Come on, " Cappie said, standing and grabbing Rusty. " I should clean this up and you need some ice for that eye. "

Rusty followed along behind him as they left the room.

" So, quite a night. " Jenn sighed.

" Yeah, it was. "

She turned to Casey with a serious expression that made her look a bit older suddenly. " I know you're kinda short on the girl talk front right now with Ashleigh not talking to you and all. " she began a bit hesitantly, like she wasn't sure of the reception her words would receive from the older girl. " I'm not sure how all this happened tonight, but if you need someone to talk to, I'm around. "

Casey looked at her for a long moment, genuinely touched by her offer. She was such a nice girl. She wondered how long it would be before the sorority politics and all the crap that went with it changed her. She had been exceptionally nice to her, going so far as to send her the video of Evan and Becca the first time because she thought Casey should know about it. She was great for Rusty, patient and understanding in spite of the fact that Rusty had never before had a girlfriend and was a complete geek.

Experience told her to beware of pledges that were too nice, too helpful. Was there an ulterior motive hiding somewhere behind the innocent, blue eyes that looked back at her ? Something told her there wasn't. That this was a sincerely nice girl who just wanted to be her friend.

" I broke up with Evan tonight. " she told her finally.

" I kinda guessed that. I was pretty sure it was just a matter of time. " she answered with a shy smile. " But how did you end up here at the Kappa Tau house of all places ? "

Casey laughed. " Cappie and I have a sort of history together. "

" Oh, " she said simply sitting back. Casey could almost see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to figure out what exactly Casey meant by history. " Oh, " she repeated as light seemed to dawn on her. " You left Evan for Cappie ? "

" Well, something like that. I like to think that Evan left me for Becca first. I caught them together again earlier tonight. "

" Wow, again, huh ? What is that, like four times now ? " she commented off handedly.

" What ? " Casey leaned forward and grabbed her shoulder urgently. " They've been together four different times now ? "

Jenn shrunk back from her, a deer in the headlights look in her eyes. " I thought you knew. "

" Why would you assume I knew ? " she asked, taking her hand away and backing off to keep from scaring the girl more.

" Well after the first time and you didn't really do anything about it... " her voice trailed off for a moment, leaving the statement hanging in the air. " I just thought you were handling it in your own way. "

Casey sighed and looked away. " I guess I didn't really handle it like I should have the first time. I should have put a stop to it right then."

" People deserve a second chance sometimes and love makes us do things we never thought we would. " Jenn offered in a kind voice that almost made Casey feel better.

" You know, " she paused, considering for a moment. " I'm not sure I was ever really in love with Evan. "

" Then why did you stay with him all that time ? " Jenn asked, confused.

" I think I was more in love with the idea of him. I thought he was everything I always wanted. I thought he was perfect. " she answered with a dreamlike quality to her voice. " I guess I was confused about what I really wanted. "

Jenn smiled in understanding. " And Cappie is what you really want. "

" Yeah, " Casey nodded decisively. " He always has been. I just didn't know it. I like myself better when I'm with Cappie. I can just be me. I don't have to be perfect all the time. He likes it when I wake up with my hair all messed up. " she smiled, remembering. " He likes it when I wear his boxers and t-shirt all day and never bother getting dressed. He likes that I'm not perfect and that's a huge relief. "

" I get that. " Jenn nodded. " It's important to be who you really are. It's too hard to pretend all the time. That's one of the reasons Rusty and I get along so well. He doesn't expect anything from me. He just likes me. "

Casey looked down at her hands resting in her lap. " I wanted to talk to you about that actually. I just haven't had the chance with all the craziness going on lately. "

" About what ? Rusty ? " Jenn asked.

" Yeah, You understand that you are the first girl that he has ever dated, right ? "

" Yeah, I know. "

" I really appreciate you being so nice to him. It's really sweet. " Casey smiled, but it faded quickly and her expression turned serious. " I just wanted to tell you to tread carefully with him. He's very sweet and very naive and I don't want to see him hurt. "

Jenn laughed out loud. " I love that he's so naive and sweet and I promise you I won't do anything to hurt him. Not if I can help it. But it's really nice of you to give me the big sister talk. He's lucky to have you."

Casey laughed. " I doubt he would agree so maybe we could just keep this little chat between us. "

" I won't say a word. I promise. " she agreed. " But I'm glad he has you to look out for him. "

" Oh, he has more than me. Cappie didn't hit Evan because of me. He hit him because he hit Rusty. I've never seen him that mad before. He really likes Rusty. "

" And I really like Cappie. " She gave her a conspiratorial look and glanced around before adding in a quiet voice, " I had such a crush on him before I met Rusty. I was so excited to be delivering the crush baskets. "

Casey laughed. " Every new ZBZ has a crush on Cappie. "

Jenn looked around once again. " I wonder what's taking them so long. "

Casey gave the hallway a glance as well. " I'm sure they'll be along soon. " She stifled a yawn brought on by an incredibly long day and stretched to relieve an ache beginning in her shoulder. "Can you do me a favor and tell Cappie that I went to bed ? I'm exhausted. It's been a really long day."

" Yeah, I'll be home pretty soon myself. I just want to tell Rusty bye and make sure he's okay. " She nodded.

Casey smiled, stood and left the room, humming to herself, content for the first time in a long time.

Cappie lead the younger man down the hall to the kitchen. Once there, he grabbed an ice pack out of the large, beige, side by side, fridge and tossed it to him.

" So was it as great as I always imagined it would be ? " Rusty asked, placing the pack gingerly over his left eye.

" What's that ? " Cappie commented over his shoulder from where he stood running his hand under a stream of cool water at the sink.

" Hitting Evan. "

" Yeah, it was. " he laughed. " It felt really, really good. "

" I can't believe he had the nerve to call her a slut. After everything and he calls her the slut. " Rusty shook his head in disbelief.

Cappie flipped off the water, grabbed a towel and turned to Rusty. " Spitter, I didn't hit him because he called Casey a name. At least not the first time." he said seriously as he dabbed at his knuckle.

" Then why ? " Rusty stammered. " I mean I thought that's what got you so mad. I remember sitting up and telling you what happened and then you stormed off. I just assumed it was because of what he said about her. "

Cappie put his hand on the younger man's shoulder and smiled. " I hit him because he hit you. I couldn't let him come in here and knock out one of my pledges like that, especially not you. "

Rusty's face bloomed in a crimson blush that almost caused Cappie to laugh out loud. " You hit him for me. "

" Actually, I was looking for an excuse and that seemed the perfect one. " he chuckled.

" Well, I'm glad I could give you a good reason for breaking his nose. " Rusty muttered.

" Hey, Spitter, Don't look like that. " he told him at his down trodden expression. " You did a really brave thing tonight. You stood up to Evan. That's something. Most freshman piss their pants when he comes around. "

" Yeah, " Rusty scoffed. " Well, I'm betting he doesn't run around calling their sister's names. "

Cappie patted his shoulder. " That's even better. You were being noble. Chicks love noble. "

" I'm sure it would have more macho if I hadn't gotten knocked out. I'm not sure chicks dig unconscious. "

" Maybe not, but you don't seem to be doing so bad with the chicks lately. " he commented.

He blushed again and took on a decidedly sheepish note. " I know, huh ? Me ? I have a girlfriend. "

" I think it's great. Jenn is great and, " he pinched his cheek playfully. " You two are just so cute together. "

Rusty batted him away. " How about you ? How are you doing on the whole girl front ? "

It was Cappie's turn to feel sheepish. It was a feeling he wasn't all together used to. " I'm doing pretty good, myself. "

" So, did she say it ? " He asked, practically bouncing with excitement.

Cappie laughed at his enthusiasm, " Yeah, she said it and I said and it was really great and then Evan called and interrupted the whole thing. "

" I tried to hold him off. "

" I know and I appreciate it and right now I think it's time we got back to the women folk and maybe I can pick up where I left off earlier. "

They took off down the hall laughing and chatting until they came to the den and found only Jenn there. Cappie's face fell instantly.

" Where's Casey ? " he asked.

" She said to tell you she was exhausted and went to bed. " Jenn smiled and kissed Rusty's cheek as he sat beside her.

" Oh, " he answered, shuffling his feet. " Then I guess I'll head to bed, too. " he muttered, obviously disappointed.

" I'm sorry, Cappie. I'm sure she'll come around tomorrow. " Rusty offered, before turning his attention back to his girlfriend.

Cappie mumbled " yeah, sure. " before turning and leaving the room.

_She left_, he thought, as he trudged up the staircase. Was she mad ? He had hesitated before telling the others to call the ambulance earlier. Maybe she was mad about that. Or maybe she was mad because he hit Evan. Or maybe she had changed her mind and right now she was sitting at the Omega Chi house nursing Evan back to health.

The image of his Casey with a towel cleaning the blood off of Evan played through his mind and he stumbled over his own feet as he turned down the hall to his room.

His mood had turned quickly from elation to melancholy in a few moments and it left him with a heady feeling. The rush of adrenalin fading was making him dizzy and clumsy.

_And_, he thought sourly, _my damn hand is starting to hurt._

He was beginning to wonder if hitting Evan had been worth it. But then the images of him with his hands on Casey, his lips on Casey, and Rusty's swollen face came flooding back and he was certain once again. He had done the right thing and it had felt wonderful. It had been a long time since he had felt that good again.

He put on a good show. He tried really hard to not let anyone know exactly how much Casey leaving had hurt him. Pushing everything away and throwing himself into the partying and drinking had seemed a much better plan than moping and crying all the time. He just wasn't sure he could recover as gracefully this time.

His problem was he was a romantic and he felt things deeply when he let himself care about anything. He knew that everyone saw him as the carefree partyer that never got down for long, but inside he was an entirely different person. Someone that loved adoringly, cared madly, and felt intensely. He had goals and dreams and plans. But his dreams and plans revolved around different things than most people's. He didn't care about money or ambition.

Most people didn't know about his goals. He didn't like to tell the other guys in the house about his plans. He was majoring in environmental studies. He wanted to clean the water and the air and make the world a better place for the children he wanted someday. But those kind of plans lead to ridicule and teasing in a Frat house like Kappa Tau. They were too serious minded for the men of the partying Fraternity.

He had shared those dreams with Casey once a long time ago and she hadn't teased him, hadn't told him his dreams were impossible. She even told him once that it was one of things she loved about him.

He stopped outside his door, trying to remember how his mind had gotten on that particular track. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before opening the door and heading into the bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

Cappie opened the solid oak door and stepped into the darkened room dispassionately. He still couldn't believe she left without so much as a goodbye to him. She must be mad. She would have either come to the kitchen and said goodbye or waited for him if she wasn't mad. There was no other explanation.

He considered giving up on her. It seemed that he just couldn't please her. He had a knack for making her angry. It was like everything he did was wrong. It wasn't like this last time. They never fought, at least not at first. They had six or seven months of perfection before Evan came along.

And he knew she had never cheated on him. At first the thought occurred to him. But he was hurt and angry at the time. Now, looking back he knew it wasn't in Casey to cheat. It was just something she wouldn't do. So at least he had that.

Now she was gone again before they even really got started. He had messed things up again. He couldn't go back to spending all his time afraid that he was going to make her angry and she was going to leave. He couldn't walk on eggshells around her again. It was an exhausting way to live.

He closed the door and clicked the lock. Then he pulled his shirt over his head, tossed it into the corner and let his shorts hit the floor. Stepping out of them, he tossed himself onto the bed without turning on a light.

He had let himself entertain the notion that maybe she was waiting from him, but only cold emptiness met his eyes as he scanned the room.

Evan words echoed in his head over and over, causing him to close his eyes to try and block them.

_I didn't think she meant enough to you to fight for her. You didn't bother last time I took her from you._

He shook his head. He would not just let her walk away from him again. He was going to fight for her. He couldn't just let her go.

He got up, snatched his clothes from the floor, dressed hurriedly and stormed out the door.

_God, _he thought as he made his way outside and turned towards the ZBZ house, _Please let her not be at the Omega Chi house. _

His footsteps echoed in the stillness of the dark night. The tiny sliver of moon that shone didn't do much to light the way, but it was a path he was very familiar with. He had walked it many times, both drunk and sober.

His feet carried him without thought down the sidewalk and that was good because his mind was miles away. She was definitely angry. She would not have left if she wasn't. But leaving like this was ridiculous. He remembered a time when they used to talk to each other when problems arose between them. Was this how she and Evan handle disagreements ? Did they simply walk away from each other ? And they hadn't even had a disagreement that he could recall anyway. Everything seemed to be fine. But then why would she leave ?

Maybe she really was just tired. Maybe he was making a complete fool of himself, storming across campus to find that nothing was wrong except that she was exhausted and wanted to sleep in her own bed.

If that is what happened then he was the one that was angry. She could have waited to say goodbye at least instead of stirring him up like this after the night he had.

Suddenly he found himself standing on her large, columned front porch feeling very unsure of himself. Before he could back out he knocked on one of the huge white double doors. Glancing at his watch he saw it was almost eleven. Surely someone would still be up on a Saturday night.

After taking several pacing laps on the doormat under his feet, a small, anxious-looking girl eased the door opened and looked at him apprehensively.

" Yes ? " she said in a quiet voice that he barely heard.

" I need to see Casey Cartwright. " he answered.

She opened the door, allowed him inside and closed the door behind her.

" I'll get her. Wait her. " she told him, but he ignored her and started up the grand staircase leading to the bedrooms.

" You aren't allowed up there. " the small girl protested behind him.

Several heads began to peep out of doorways as her words carried through the house. He looked to the first one he came to at the top of the stairs. " Casey Cartwright, where is her room ? "

" Down the hall on the right. " she answered before stepping completely out of her room. " Fourth door down. "

He found the right door quickly and knew he was in the right place because of the colorfully painted sign on the door reading, _Ashleigh and Casey_, with pink and purple stars and moons and lots of glitter.

He knocked firmly and waited only a moment before Ashleigh's dark head of hair peaked out and her brown eyes widened at the sight of him. " What are you doing up here ? " she exclaimed.

" I need to talk to Casey. " he answered in a voice that left no room for argument.

She opened the door wider and Casey appeared beside her. " Is Rusty okay ? " she asked quickly.

" He's fine. I want to talk to you. " he began.

" Just give me a second. " she answered and started to turn away but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

" Casey, if you're mad at me then tell me. Don't just walk away from me. You didn't even give this a chance. You said you loved me. If you've changed your mind, then fine. " he paused only long enough to take in air, refusing to let her say a word until he said everything he was determined to say. Once the words started to come it was like there was no stopping them. " No, actually it's not fine if you've changed your mind. Evan was right, I didn't fight for you last time and I will not let that happen again. I don't want to go back to being without you again. I love you. And you love me, you can't just pretend that tonight never happened and go back to Evan. "

She looked at him dumbfounded. When he finally quieted a slow smile spread across her face and she started to laugh. " You thought I was going back to Evan ? "

He looked at the floor sheepishly and began to shuffle his feet. " Well, you just left without saying goodbye and I didn't know what to think. "

She held up a bag she had been holding in her hand. " I have to see my parents tomorrow. I just came to get a few things so that I didn't have to come back here in the morning. " she explained. " I was coming right back. I figured I could get back before you even noticed I was gone. "

He looked from her to the bag and back to her again. She wasn't leaving. Relief flooded over him and he sighed so deeply his shoulders shook.

" Show's over everyone. " Ashleigh called over his shoulder and it wasn't until that moment that he noticed the crowd of girls that had formed around them.

" Why don't you wait for me downstairs ? " Casey offered, stepping closer and pecking him on the cheek quickly. " I'll be right down. "

He nodded wordlessly and started down the stairs. Once at the bottom, he stopped and smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, causing pain to shoot through both his head and his hand.

" You owe me a thank you, you know. " A voice announced as a petite, dark haired girl stepped out of the living room.

He turned towards her and racked his brain trying to remember why on Earth he would owe this girl anything. " Excuse me ? "

" I said, you owe me a thanks. " she smiled, a cold, coy smile that was anything but warm or attractive.

" Who the hell are you and why do I owe you anything ?" he asked, not bothering to mask his unfounded feelings of instant hostility towards her that he couldn't explain. He didn't know why, he just knew he did not like her.

She extended a hand towards him and he took it reluctantly and let it go just as quickly. " I'm Becca. I think we've met before though. " She laughed and it was one of the most unpleasant sounds he had ever heard. " And here I thought I was unforgettable. "

Cappie rolled his eyes and chuckled, " Oh believe me. I don't think I would have remembered you even if I had had sex with you. I just don't waste too much time remembering your type. "

Her eyes said she was offended and she brought her hand to her chest. " I don't think I like what you're implying. "

He chuckled mirthlessly. " I wasn't aware I was implying anything. I thought I was making my meaning pretty clear. "

" Well, maybe you should consider who you say things like that too. " she answered, venom dripping from her voice.

" Why ? Because your Daddy is some big shot. Sweetie, I could care less who your father is or isn't. A slut is a slut. " he replied, cooly. " I personally believe it's in the breeding. "

She gasped and took a step back. " How dare you ! Who do you think you are ? "

" Someone that doesn't give a shit about you or your family. There are actually quite a few of us out here in the big world. I'm sure I'm not the only one you'll meet. " he sneered. " But I am very grateful to apparently be the first. "

He turned his attention to the staircase where Casey was standing about halfway down and smiled up at her. She still wore the same pale yellow dress she was wearing earlier but she had taken her hair down and brushed it out, leaving it to bounce around her shoulders as she descended the steps.

" Ready ? " he asked, stepping to her and taking her hand when she got close enough.

" You know I have enough influence here, I'll have you voted out of the ZBZ's by tomorrow. " Becca spat.

" You know, " Casey smiled at her sweetly." I really don't care anymore. "

Cappie lead her towards the door, stopping only briefly to glance back at Becca. " You might want to check on your boyfriend. Last time I saw him he was having some sinus issues. " he called. Then turned back to Casey. " That's her ? " he asked, as they walked out. " I just don't get it. "

Her frustrated huff was the last thing they heard before closing the door behind them.

They walked in silence most of the way back to the Kappa Tau house. Casey's small hand rested comfortably in his and her bag sat over his shoulder. Their steps were meandering, as if they had nothing to be in a hurry for. Inside, he wanted to run, he wanted to skip actually, but he held back and let her set the pace.

" So, you thought I left without even saying goodbye, huh ? " she asked as they neared the house.

" Well, Jenn said you went to bed. " he explained. " I went to my room but you weren't there and then I remembered Evan saying I didn't fight for you last time and I realized he was right. "

" So you came storming over like a knight in shining armor ready to fight for me. " she sighed dreamily. " You really are my hero. "

He laughed quietly. " I don't know about shining armor. Maybe a little rusted. "

" Okay, " she agreed. " Rusted armor. "

" I made a complete fool out of myself back there. " he sighed, " I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. "

She laughed. " Are you serious ? That was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Do you want to go with Rusty and I tomorrow ? "

He considered that for half a minute. " Will your mother be making her peach cobbler ? "

" I'm sure she will. It's Rusty's favorite, too. " she smiled.

" I could come and hang with your folks. " he nodded as they started up the steps to the large house in front of them.

She smiled at him and he stopped on the bottom step. She ascended to the next one before realizing he had stopped and turned back to him. Standing on different steps they were exactly the same height and pulled her against him and kissed her deeply.

" My parents really like you. " she told him as once they broke for air.

" And I really like your parents. So that works out nicely. " he chortled.

He kissed her again, gently this time, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, pressed against his chest.

" I can't believe you thought I was going back to Evan. " she shook her head.

He shook his head adamantly. " I do not want to talk about Evan again tonight. "

She took his hand and dragged him up the steps after her. " Let's go to bed. "

They walked quickly into the house and made their way to his room with little interruption other than the occasional guy patting Cappie on the back and congratulating him on hitting Evan.

Once inside his room he locked the door and pulled her into his arms, after flinging her bag into a corner of the room. His lips were on hers, pressing, demanding, insistent. She responded in kind, arching into him, pushing her breasts into his chest until he felt he couldn't breath. They finally broke apart for an instant when oxygen became important and he used the chance to snatch his shirt over his head and fling it into the far reaches of the darkened room. She played her fingertips over the muscles of his chest, reacquainting herself with the contours of his body. He hissed as her thumb brushed across his nipple, drawing a quick breath through gritted teeth.

She apparently liked the sound because she was instantly against him once again, her mouth covering his, tongues tangling in a fight for dominance neither of them really cared to win. His hands went to the zipper at the back of her dress and began to ease it down. His trembling fingers fumbled with the tiny piece of metal awkwardly. Finally, after several attempts, he turned her abruptly around so he could see exactly what he was doing wrong. When he, at last, managed to unzipped it he slowly pushed the tiny straps from her shoulders and let the dress pool at her feet as it slid from her body.

He pulled her against him, pressing her back against his chest and relished in the feel of skin against skin. He moved her hair aside and buried his face in her shoulder.

They were swaying, he noticed, unsure of who had started the motion but letting his body flow with it, like they were moving to some song that only they could hear. Her arm came up to wrap around his neck and she buried her fingers in his hair, pulling him even deeper into her. His hands went to her breasts. Cupping them in his hands, marveling at how they fit perfectly in his palms. His thumb repeated her earlier motion, grazing over her already harden nipple and he smiled as she copied the sound he had made.

She turned her head far enough to kiss him and her mouth was warm and moist and delicious as he allowed himself to taste her fully. He moved to her throat, licking, kissing and nipping a trail down its side and back to the nape of her neck, an area he had discovered long ago was particularly sensitive. He lingered there, drawing sounds from her as she arched further into him.

His name fell from her lips in a quiet gasp, like an angel calling to him. Never had he heard a sweeter sound.

The hand that wasn't tangled in his hair, came around and grasped him where his leg met his hip and she clutched at him like he was the only thing keeping her upright. His hands trailed from her breasts to her waist and back again, feeling the silky, warmth of her skin beneath his fingers.

Just feeling her left him in a state beyond imagining. No other woman had ever had the effect on him that Casey did. He was normally the one in control, driving his partner wild with need, but she could almost render him undone with the sound of her sigh or her breath against his skin. She drove him out of his mind with passion, setting him on fire with nothing more than her presence. She made him that way simply by being close to him.

He was so lost in simply feeling her that when she abruptly spun and wrapped herself around him, he gasped and almost stumbled. Then she turned them around and started urging him backwards, guiding his steps until he felt the bed against the backs of his knees.

He tightened his grip on her, readying to pull them both down to the comfortable softness of his bed when she stopped him and pulled back.

He watched closely as her hands trailed down his shoulders, over his chest, and past his navel, stopping at the waistband of his shorts. Her fingers nimbly pushed the button through and lowered the zipper. Then she slid them slowly from his waist, letting them drop to his feet.

As he was about to take her in his arms again, she pushed at his shoulders, causing him to fall back onto the bed.

It was in utter amazement that he watched her sink to her knees in front of him, as if she were moving in slow motion, frame by frame. He felt her hands tugging at his shoes and saw them sail off behind her as she tossed each in turn over her shoulder.

He sat up and reached for her, making to pull her onto the bed with him, but before he made contact, he stopped dead still as her hand slipped languidly up his legs, brushing over his thighs. Then she grasped his throbbing, aching member. His eyes closed and his head seemed to flop lifelessly on his shoulders as she began to stroke him, her hand somehow knowing the exact perfect amount of pressure to apply as she squeezed him, then eased off, before squeezing again, all the while sliding up and down his length.

His chest heaved and stars exploded behind his eyelids as she continued to drive him closer and closer to the edge. Then his breath caught and his hips jerked involuntarily upward as he felt her warm, wet mouth close over him. It was beyond anything he remembered. She set a leisurely pace as she moved her mouth over him, sliding her incredibly soft lips along his length. His hands tangled in her hair and his head fell back on his shoulders again. In that moment, she was his entire world, nothing existed for him except the feel of her mouth on his body, driving him beyond anything he had ever felt. Her tongue flicked around his crown and he jerked at the sensation. He was drowning in ecstacy, beyond thinking.

He sat up abruptly, and his eyes locked on hers, what he found there pushed him even further towards the brink. Her gaze was filled with love, passion and intensity. It was a look he never thought he'd see again.

" Casey, " he whispered, when he didn't think he could endure even one more touch from her.

She let him go and moved to settle beside him on the bed. He watched her, the perfection of her body as she moved was almost more than he could handle. His fingers moved over her smooth, flawless back as he held her against him and shifted so that they were more comfortable on the bed.

He pulled his hands through her hair, letting the silky golden strands glide through his fingers.

" I love you. " she whispered as she peered into his face.

" I love you, too. " he answered, nuzzling her neck gently.

He shifted until she was laying beneath him, bathed in the dim moonlight drifting in from the window, and suddenly he couldn't believe that she was really there with him. After so many nights of dreaming about her laying beside him, hoping that someday she would find her way back, she was finally there.

He began to caress her eyelids, her cheek, her collarbone with his lips. He couldn't stop kissing her, trying to familiarize himself with her again, and finding that his memory of her was completely accurate. She tasted like strawberries and smelled of lavender. He took a deep breath as he buried his head in her shoulder, taking in her smell and savoring it.

He pulled back and let his mouth fall to her breast. She chuckled as she noticed he was carefully avoiding the breast that he was convinced brought on distractions and interruptions.

He smiled. " Oh, I'm not touching that one this time. No way. "

She pulled his mouth to hers for a moment and kissed him deeply, letting her tongue slide against his, before fluttering across the roof of his mouth. " I don't plan on letting anything stop us this time." she breathed as the kiss broke.

" Yeah, well, I didn't plan on stopping either of the other times but shit happened. " he commented, going back to examining her breast with his lips.

She sighed and arched her back into him, pushing her swollen bud further into his mouth.

His hands slid down her side, across her hip and rested at the curve of her body where her hips met her thigh. It was his favorite place on her body for his hand to sit. It fit perfectly into his palm, molding into his hand.

She groaned and bent her head to his shoulder, nibbling once again at his warm flesh.

Her lips found his earlobe and he let go of her breast and moaned as she latched on to it and sucked ferociously. She ground her hips against his and he groaned as her hands played over his chest, touching every inch of his skin.

" I've missed you. " she mumbled against his collarbone where her mouth had descended. " I've missed this. "

He brought her lips to his again. " I've missed you, too. You have no idea how much. "

Her fingers tangled in his hair and she leaned her head back against the pillow as he once again kissed and nibbled at her neck. His hand slid down her side, this time eliciting a giggle from her as he found a ticklish spot that he knew was there.

" You know I hate to be tickled. " she chided around a gulp of laughter as he nimbly moved his fingers over the spot once again.

His smile turned mischievous as he suddenly pulled away from her and dipped his head to the spot, letting his tongue twirl over the tender skin.

She shrieked and jerked so hard he had to duck a leg that almost made contact with his nose. He reached out and grasped the flailing limb, bringing it to his mouth and lightly biting at the inside of her knee, stopping her squirming instantly. Her fingers were in his hair once again as he let his tongue slid up the inside of her thigh.

Then he felt her sharp intake of breath as he reached the point where her leg met her body. He could feel her anticipation like a living, breathing thing. Instead of letting himself taste her, he ignored the area where he knew she wanted to be touched the most and dipped his tongue into her navel.

She shivered in his arms as he continued moving up her body, tasting her along the way, leaving a wet trail in his wake. He paused to suck at the place between her breasts, a place he remembered that she had a weakness for and was rewarded for his efforts with a low, soft moan.

He couldn't seem to get enough of the feel of her skin, warm and silky soft under his fingertips. She was obviously feeling the same as her hands played over the muscles in his back. When he found a particularly sensitive spot, like the place just below her ear, or where her shoulder met her neck, or the pulse in her throat, she dragged her nails across his flesh, setting his senses on fire.

Many girls had dug their nails into his back, but no one did it like Casey, his Casey. She consumed him, filling all his senses to the point that nothing else existed for him, but her. Her hands caressed him, her mouth tasted him, her soft moans filled the room. She was everywhere and everything.

When she closed her lips around his Adam's apple and began to feel his pounding pulse with her tongue, he cursed under his breath from the mind blowing sensation and knew he had to have her soon.

A small smile of satisfaction that he could barely make out in the dim moonlight said she was pleased with herself at being able to inspire such a reaction in him. He wasn't about to tell her that she inspired him without even trying. It would give her too much power over him. He wasn't ready to trust her with knowledge. He wasn't sure he ever would be.

Casey felt shivers running through her as Cappie continued his assault on her senses. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. Still, he kept up the agonizingly slow pace as he explored her.

Then suddenly, as if he were reading her mind, he was towering over her. He took both her hands in his and placed her arms over her head, gently yet with a firmness that said he wasn't going to let her go. Her smile was triumphant as he easily slide inside her, filling her in a way she hadn't been filled in longer than she could remember. They both cried out as the feeling of completion and connection consumed them.

Their eyes locked as he looked down on her. She gasped as he started to move and wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him closer, deeper into her. She needed him closer. Struggling to free her hands, she arched her back into his chest trying to touch as much of him as possible. She tightened her legs around his waist and he let her arms go and shifted.

All at once she was straddling him and he laid back, letting her set the pace she wanted. And it wasn't the slow, easy one he had initiated. Before she realized it they were crashing against each other. The sounds they were making filled the room.

Somehow he was now sitting with her on his lap, arms clutching at one another in desperation. Their kisses were searing, wet and soul deep. They pushed and pulled against each other, giving in to the need for release that threatened to devour them both.

She threw her head back and tried to stifle a scream that come from deep in chest as she felt her body tighten around his and every nerve in her fired at once. Just when she thought the feeling couldn't get any better, he exploded inside her, his warmth filling her completely as he cried her name into her shoulder.

Sweat drenched and exhausted he fell backwards, pulling her with him, his arms around her holding her tightly against his heaving chest.

Her ear rested against him and she could hear his heart beating so hard and fast that it seemed about to tear through his skin and she imagined hers was exactly the same. She only lingered for a moment before making to change position, expecting him to tell her any second that he was hot and she need to move, the way Evan usually did.

Instead Cappie's arm tightened around her, holding her steady as soon as he felt her shift. " Where are you going ? " he panted, tilting his head down to look at her.

" I assumed you were hot and wouldn't want me laying on you. " she answered, suddenly feeling unsure of herself.

He laughed and dropped his head back to the pillow. " I am hot, but I'll cool off. You don't have to move. "

She settled her head back to his chest and smiled contentedly. His hand loosened its restraining grip on her finally and he began making small circles on her back with his fingertip. She closed her eyes, snuggled closer into him and let her mind wander over the events of the last few days in her life.

If someone had told her two weeks earlier that she would be laying in this bed again, resting against this man, she would have told them they were crazy. Yet, somehow, she had always known she would be back here eventually. She tried hard to convince herself and the other side world that she was over Cappie, but deep down she knew she would never truly be over him. She had never felt anything that even came close to the way she felt when he was with her. She loved him more than she could ever explain and it sadden her a little to think that she could never tell him exactly what he meant to her. It was beyond words, beyond explanation.

She smiled as she thought about how she always rolled her eyes inwardly when the girls at the house talked about how much they loved their boyfriends. It was funny to her to imagine someone so young even being able to contemplate the concept of truly loving someone so deeply. But now here she was with the same thoughts running through her mind.

" What are you so lost in thought about ? " Cappie asked, shifting and pulling her up in the bed so that she was even with him.

" I was thinking about how much I love you, actually. " she smiled, kissing him lightly.

" I always seem to interrupt your best thoughts. " he laughed. " I'm going to learn to leave you alone when you get quiet. "

She laughed with him. Then he kissed her and sat up, untangling himself from her gently.

" I need a drink. " he expalined at her questioning look, " And I have a surprise for you. "

She watched as he pulled his shorts on. " Don't be too long. " she called before the door shut behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

Casey reached over, pushing the button on the small radio beside the bed and let the sounds of some awful love song from the eighties pour into the room. She settled back on the bed, covered herself with the navy blue comforter and smiled to herself happily. The light blue sheets under her had a soft, broken-in feel and the fluffiness of the pillow where her head rested was dreamy. She realized with a start that it was her pillow. She had bought the pillow for use when she stayed here and left it when she left Cappie. She was amazed that he still had it after all these months.

She imagined him curled around it and wondered if he thought it still smelled like her. Then her mind roamed to all the girls she knew had been in this very bed, resting on her pillow and a streak of jealousy she had no right to claimed her for an instant.

She had broken up with him. She had moved on. She couldn't very well be angry because he tried to do the same. Still, it rankled her to image another girls head on her pillow, in her spot on his bed, resting against him.

She stopped herself before she went any further. It was all over now. She was where she was supposed to be. Happy, in love and secure in the knowledge that he loved her, too.

She felt... she couldn't actually describe how she felt. Peaceful was as close she as could come, but even that didn't really define it properly. Then it came to her. She felt complete. That was the feeling. Leaving Cappie had been like leaving part of herself behind as well and now that she was finally back where she belonged, she was whole once again.

Her mind drifted back to all the other times she had laid in his bed, all the passion they had shared here, and now looking back, she realized, all the love. Moments were shared in this bed that she could never forget.

It seemed to her that, maybe that was exactly what life was all about, making moments. Wasn't that all a life really amounted to in the end, a series of moments, good and bad, that made a person who they were. Moments that fused in a person's remember so vividly that they could never forget them.

In her entire, albeit still relatively short, college experience, almost every moment involved Cappie in some way. Even in those he wasn't involved in directly, he was there.

There was her first day on campus. She was so lost and scared and had no idea where to go or what to do. He was the first person she met and he helped her find her dorm, helped her get settled. Her first party, she had gotten so wasted and Cappie had been there, a pledge at the Kappa Tau house. He helped her back to her dorm and got her tucked into bed. He had been so sweet and concerned for her. Then there was her first date. They went the to planetarium and stared at the fake stars. Then they came back to Kappa Tau house, threw a blanket in the backyard and stared at the real ones until they began to fade with the dawn. He had kissed her that night, a sweet tender kiss like she had never experienced before or since. A kiss that would stay with her a lifetime.

Then there was the night in his dorm, a room not far now the hall from Rusty's actually, where they had both experienced sex for the first time. A night spent exploring and learning. It had been perfect and she knew if it had been with anyone other than Cappie it wouldn't have been as wonderful. Many girls she knew had terrible story about their first time. She was one of the lucky ones. Hers was a night she would never forget.

But even after they had parted ways, he was always there, in the background, waiting for her to come back to him. He was there for her first date with Evan, a loud kegger at the Omega Chi house, much less romantic than her other first date. And that night when she drank too much and Evan had passed out, unable to help her home. There was Cappie, walking her back to the ZBZ house and making sure she was okay before he left. He was there, waking her with a gentle hand on her shoulder when she fell asleep in the library before one of her midterms. If he hadn't been there, she would have missed the test and failed the course.

And of course he was there when she suffered through finding out about Becca and Evan the first time. Holding her all night and never letting on that he knew she was crying on his shoulder.

He was always there, like some guardian angel watching over her, helping her through all her bad times and making her good times that much better. Not one of his Kappa Tau brothers knew the real Cappie, the one that was shy and emotional and so very endearing he was impossible to resist. She liked to imagine that she was the only one that knew that Cappie, like something he held in reserve especially for her because he trusted her enough to let her see the real him.

She had no idea what she had done to gain that kind of trust from him, actually she was pretty sure it was completely undeserved. She had hurt him more times than she cared to calculate and the guilt of that weighed on her heavily. Of all the people in her world, Cappie was the one person she never wanted to hurt. And she vowed silently that she never would again. She would make it her mission from here on to do everything in her power to make him happy.

Her thoughts came back to reality as the door opened and the man in question walked in with two plastic cups and two plates balanced precariously in his hands. He shut the door with his foot and handed her one of the cups.

Taking it, she looked at its contains with a questioning eye. " Milk ? " she asked.

" Yes, milk. It does a body good. " he answered, turning and locking the door before coming back to join her on the bed.

" So what is this surprise you've kept me in suspense for ? " she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he sat the rest of his burdens on the table beside the bed.

He brought the plate in front of her and she looked down at it and smiled. " A piece of Chocolate pie ? "

This was a tradition with them. One she truly enjoyed, sitting in bed and eating pie with him was one of her fondest memories, but how had he managed to arrange to have a pie sitting around at just the right moment ?

" It's better than chocolate pie. " he smiled, obviously very proud of himself. " It's chocolate caramel pie with a brown sugar crust. "

" Where did it come from ? " she laughed. " I mean how did you know you would need a chocolate, caramel pie with a brown sugar crust tonight ? " Then she stopped laughing and looked at him seriously. A new thought occurring to her that she didn't like one bit. " You haven't been sharing pie with the other girls you've had up here, have you ? "

He sat the plate down for a moment and grabbed her to him with a smile and they tumbled over in a heap of legs and arms. " Why ? Would you be jealous if I did ? "

She smiled at his playfulness. " Oh, I certainly would be. I wouldn't like it at all. "

He turned serious suddenly. " You know I wouldn't do that. This was our thing. I couldn't eat pie in bed with another girl. It wouldn't feel right. "

" Then how did you just happen to come across a pie tonight ? "

" Beaver went and got it for me before I left to go find you. " he confessed. " I wanted it to have it just in case things turned out the way I wanted. "

She kissed him abruptly. " That is the nicest, sweetest, most romantic thing. " she told him.

He kissed and nodded. " I know. It really was, wasn't it ? Now can we eat it ? Because it looked really good when I cut it up and I'm dying to try it. "

She kissed him again, letting her tongue slide into his mouth. " I can taste chocolate. You can't lie to me, you already tasted it. " she said as she pulled away.

He laughed. " Okay so I tasted it downstairs. You caught me. I have no willpower where pie is concerned. "

He sat up, pulling her with him and reached for one of the plates. When he offered her a fork full of the delicious-looking concoction she accepted it readily and let the creamy decadence fill her mouth.

Before she could swallow, he was kissing her again, sharing the taste with her.

She groaned at the sweetness of the chocolate and the hint of caramel and he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue over hers.

" Wow, " she smiled, when he pulled away. " That is really good pie. "

Her offered her another bit, but before it made it to her lips, a small portion fell and landed on her chest, just above her breast.

" Oops. " he smiled, before bending his head and slowly cleaning the offending mess from her skin with his warm mouth.

They finished the pie in much the same way, dropping bits on each other, 'accidently' on purpose and making sure to clean every bit as throughly as possible. When he took a bite of warm pie and kissed her, then took a drink of cold milk and kissed her again, the sensation of hot and cold so closely together drove her crazy.

Soon they found the pie and milk was forgotten and they busied themselves with each other instead. Using hands, lips, tongues and teeth to drive each other into a frenzy of passion once again.

" I love you. " he whispered, locking eyes with hers as he entered her again.

" I love you, too. " she answered, clinging to his shoulders as the feeling of completion once again consumed her.

It was later, laying together, sweat covered and panting that a knock on the door interrupted them once again, breaking into their inner sanctuary and imposing on their refuge from the outside world.

" What ? " "Cappie called out in a voice loud enough to be heard through the door.

" Dude, there's trouble downstairs. I think you need to get down there. " Beaver's voice answered, full of anxiety that was completely foreign for him.

Cappie jumped up, kissed Casey briefly and slide on his clothes on the way to the door. " I'll be right back. " he told her, before disappearing.

He was only gone a moment before he reappeared looking worried and very serious.

" Casey, " he started with a deep breath that caused her to moved to the side of the bed and begin to get dressed.

" It's Evan, isn't it ? He's back. Causing trouble. " she stated making a guess at his grave expression.

" No, " He shook his head and took her hand in his leading her from the room once she was dressed. They started down the stairs. Her eyes never left his face, but worry consumed her. " What is it ? You're scaring me. "

He stopped only briefly and sighed. " It's Rusty. Beaver says there's something wrong with him. "

She paled visibly and swayed. " Where is he ? "

" This way. " he answered, leading her again.

A crowd of people stood around the couch in the den once again and once again, Cappie cleared them away with an authoritative voice.

Rusty was sitting on the end of the couch, clutching his head in his hands, a look of intense concentration on his face, his eye brows furrowed together and his mouth set in a hard line.

Casey went to him and sat down. " Rusty, are you alright ? " she asked, worriedly touching his shoulder.

He shrugged off her arm forcefully. " No, my damn head hurts. " he spat in a voice that was nothing like she had ever heard him use before.

" He doesn't know who any of us are. " Beaver told Cappie quietly over his shoulder as he crouched down in front of the younger man, trying to look at his eyes.

" Spitter, " Cappie called and hissed when Rusty finally looked at him.

He stood and turned to Beaver and a few of the other guys standing around him. " We need to get him to the hospital. "

Casey looked up at him abruptly, then back to her brother. " Rusty, " she said, causing him to look at her. When she saw the reason for Cappie's concern her heart skipped a beat and she tried to fight down the panic rising in her, one of his pupils sat lower than the other.

" We tried to get him to move off the couch but he starts fighting us every time we suggest it. " she heard Beaver explain to Cappie.

Cappie looked back at Rusty and put his hand on his shoulder. " Hey, Spitter how about we go for a ride ? " he asked, his voice casual and deceptively light.

" I'm not going anywhere. " Rusty slurred and batted Cappie's hand roughly.

He pulled back and looked at Casey. " We really need to get him out of here. " he said, quietly.

" Rusty, Let's go find something to make your head feel better. " she offered.

He turned his eyes to her and looked at her with a glare that caused her to swallow hard. " My head wouldn't be hurting if it wasn't for you. " he spat.

She shrank away from him and fought against tears that suddenly threatened.

" Okay, that's enough. Rusty. " Cappie told him, taking him by the shoulder and hauling him from the couch whether he liked it or not. " Get your ass to the car. We need to go for a ride. "

Rusty swung at him, trying to knock him away, but Cappie was faster and he ducked out of the way of the offending arms and bent instead. When he stood back up it was with Rusty over his shoulder.

" I said that's enough. We are going whether you like it or not. " he told him as he started for the door.

Casey hurried to catch up and opened the front door for him. " Maybe we shouldn't be moving him. I mean didn't I hear that somewhere, that you shouldn't move someone with a head injury ? "

" Yeah, " Rusty called over his shoulder. " You shouldn't be moving me. I can walk. "

Cappie ignored the feeble fist beating against his back. " You're probably right but we're already moving now. Best we get him looked at as soon as possible. "

Casey nodded and started off. " Just wait here. I'll get the car. "

The ride to the hospital was impossibly long and every start and stopped jarred Rusty. Cappie was having a hard time keeping him awake and his head lolled on his shoulders making Casey wince and grip the steering wheel tighter every time she hit the brakes.

When they finally arrived, it wasn't a long wait before several people rushed, a now mostly unconscious Rusty through two impressive looking wooden doors.

Casey paced the corridor outside the doors and looked around wondering where Cappie had disappeared to.

He appeared suddenly as if her thought had summoned him and folded her in his arms.

" Where were you ? " she asked against his shoulder.

" I called your folks. They're on their way. " he answered.

She leaned back from him to look into his eyes. " You called my parents ? " she asked, stunned by his thoughtfulness. She hadn't even thought to do that and here he was taking control of the situation and making sure things were taken care of.

" Yeah, is that okay ? " he asked, clearly confused by her look. " I didn't mean to take over or anything, but I figured you were too busy thinking about Rusty. " he babbled, quickly trying to explain his action in case she was mad.

She chuckled and kissed him quickly. " No, I wasn't mad. I just... " she trailed off, trying to compose her rapidly running thoughts. " Thank you. I hadn't thought to call. I appreciate you taking care of it. " she said after drawing a ragged breath and getting her head together.

He kissed her cheek. " Your welcome. " he whispered. " Has anyone told you anything yet ? "

" No, they said they'd let me know as soon as they knew something. "

As soon as the words were out of her mouth the door opened and a short, overweight woman dressed in blue scrubs, holding a clipboard came to them.

" What exactly happened to your friend ? " she asked, a touch impatiently.

" He's my brother. " Casey corrected, as she turned in Cappie's arms and he rested his hand on her shoulder. " He got hit and he hit his head when he fell. He seemed alright but then he got angry and said his head hurt. "

" Has he been drinking ? "

" Possibly. " Cappie offered.

The woman looked to the hand resting on her shoulder and Casey immediately shook her head. "He isn't the one that hit him. " she insisted.

Her eyes said she didn't believe her but she didn't argue. " How was he before he lost consciousness? "

" He blacked out when he first got hit, but he came around and he seemed fine. " Cappie said. " I checked his eyes and they were okay. And he knew everyone. We applied ice for a while. But then he got combative and unresponsive. " Casey turned to look at him as he continued to explain, like he knew just what he was talking about and she wondered for a moment where all the knowledge had come from. " His speech was slurred, but I'm not sure if it was from alcohol or the bump on his head. Then I saw his pupils were uneven and we brought him in immediately. "

She sighed disapprovingly. " Did either of you give him alcohol ? "

"No, " they answered truthfully and in unison.

" Have his parents been notified ? We are going to need someone to sign some papers for him. "

" I called them. They're on their way. " he answered.

She looked at Casey and her eyes said she was very unhappy about the whole situation. " Is he allergic to anything ? "

She shook her head. " Not that I know of. "

" The doctor will be seeing him soon. We're going to get some x-rays and find out just what we're dealing with. " she informed them.

" Is he going to be okay ? " Casey asked before she could leave.

" We'll know more after the x-rays. Just have a seat and let the receptionist know when your parents arrive so we can get those papers signed. " she answered before disappearing behind the doors once again.

She turned and collapsed against the strong chest that was doing more to support her than she was doing for herself at the moment. Firm arms slid around her and encased her firmly to him as the tears she had been holding back finally started to flow freely.

She felt his hand in her hair, smoothing it tenderly as reassuring sounds fell to her ears, barely audible over her sobs.

" He blames me for this. " she cried. " You heard him. If it wasn't for me, his head wouldn't be hurting. "

Cappie pulled away and looked in her eyes. " He didn't know what he was saying. He doesn't blame you and he's going to be okay. " He told her in a firm voice that left no room for argument.

She buried her head against him once again and let him lead them to a couch in the corner of the waiting room.

They settled and prepared to wait, her quiet sobs against his shoulder the only sound in the deserted emergency room.


	7. Chapter 7

Cappie shifted slightly as he tried to keep from waking Casey. He hate to move but his arm had long since fallen asleep and now it was beginning to ache. Just as he was deciding he had no choice, another reason to wake her walked in through the automatic doors of the emergency waiting room.

He leaned close to her ear and murmured softly, not wanting to startle her. " Cas, " he whispered.

She stirred and looked up at him sleepily. " Your folks are here. " he told her.

She pulled away and sat up as her parents approached them. Just their presence seemed to take a weight off her shoulders and she went quickly to her father's outstretched arms.

" What happened ? " her mother insisted, before looking over her shoulder to Cappie. " Hello, Sweetie, How have you been ? " she smiled at him and he nodded in her direction as he stood as well.

" I'm good, How are you, Mrs. Cartwright ? " he asked.

" I was better before I was woken in the middle of the night to hear that my baby had his head bashed in. " she grimaced.

Casey sighed in exasperation. " He did not have his head bashed in. He fell and hit his head. " she corrected.

" I'm going to talk to the doctor. " she said and turned to the reception desk.

" Have they told you anything yet ? " her father asked, looking down at her.

Cappie had always really liked her father. He was a reasonable rational man that loved his children unconditionally.

" They said they were getting x-rays and they would tell us when they knew more. " she answered.

He lead her to the couch and sat with her. Cappie sat on her other side.

" Now tell me what happened before your mother gets back. I want to hear it from you. " he smiled indulgently. " She has a tendency to exaggerate. "

Cappie explained everything as quickly as he could, leaving out parts that he wasn't entirely sure that Casey wanted her parents to be aware of, like that it was Evan that hit him in the first place.

But Casey surprised him by adding the parts he was omitting.

" So, " her father said when they finished. " You broke up with Evan ? "

She nodded quietly.

" I was wondering when that was going to happen. I never liked that boy. " he offered with a small smile. Then he threw a wider one over his shoulder at Cappie. He returned his attention back to Casey before she noticed. " Why don't you go and see how your mother is doing ? "

She stood rather lifelessly and walked off to the reception desk.

" So, " her father began, making Cappie shift a bit uncomfortably. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect. The man had every right to be angry with him, after all it was at his Fraternity's party that his young son had received the alcohol he had consumed. But his eyes weren't angry when he took him in carefully. " It's good to have you back with us, Cappie. "

The younger man looked surprised and smiled awkwardly. " Thank you, sir. "

" I know that you've really taken Rusty under your wing. You are just about all he ever talks about when he calls home and I want you to know that I appreciate it. "

" Rusty is a great kid. It's my pleasure. " he answered.

Then the older man's eyes took on a serious note. " I also know, from Rusty, what has been going on between Casey and Evan and I didn't like it, but I figured she'd work it out in her own way. " he sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped tiredly. " I'm learning that you can't protect your children forever, as much as I'd like to. "

" I'm sure that isn't an easy thing to come to terms with. " Cappie agreed with a solemn nod, not really knowing where the conversation was heading.

" The thing is, " he began as he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. " I know my little girl. She is stubborn and willful and she doesn't always know what's best for herself. She tends to over think things. She can be very intense. And in my opinion, she's too young to take herself so seriously. She has plenty of time for that later. Right now she should be enjoying life. "

Cappie was a bit startled by Mr. Cartwright's views but nodded along with him, hiding his surprise.

" I was concerned the first time I met Evan. First off, frankly, we were expecting you. But then he just didn't seem like the kind of guy my Casey would fall for. He wasn't who I pictured her with."

" I always thought the same thing. " Cappie told him.

" Well, I just want you to know that if you and Casey are getting back together, then I'm thrilled. You are the kind of guy I pictured her with. I want her to be with someone I trust. Someone who I know really cares about her. "

Cappie beamed at the high praise and nodded. " Thank you. I really do care about her. I care about both of your children and I plan to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Mr. Cartwright gestured towards his hurt hand and smiled. " From the looks of that hand, I'd say you've already done that. "

Cappie smiled sheepishly. " I lost my temper, regrettably. "

He shook his head. " Never apologize for fighting when it's the right thing to do. " He smiled. " I'm going to see if anyone knows anything. I just wanted a chance to say thank you. "

He stood and had only taken a few steps when the doors opened and a stern looking older man with graying hair and glasses, wearing green scrubs and a white coat stepped out. Mr. Cartwright went to him and Cappie joined them.

" He's going to be alright, first off. " the man said. " We took some x-rays and there is no fracture. So that isn't a concern. "

He paused as Mrs. Cartwright and Casey joined them, the later immediately leaning her head against Cappie's shoulder. " We're going to keep him here tonight and make sure everything is fine. But I don't see any reason to worry. "

He felt Casey's sigh of relief and gave one of his own.

" He's awake now and coherent. He's asking to see his sister and someone named Cappie. "

They followed him to a small room, large enough for a single hospital bed and the few machines that sat around, silent and unused at the moment. Rusty was in the middle of the bed, sitting up watching the television that was chattering away from the ceiling in the corner . His eyes lite up as they entered, and Casey quickly went to him and hugged him furiously.

" I'm so sorry, Rusty. " she told him.

" About what ? " he asked, hugging her back. " This isn't your fault. "

She shook her head. " Yes it is. If I had handled things better, none of this would have happen to you. You wouldn't have been caught in the middle like this. "

He put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. " You didn't ask me to stop Evan. I did it on my own. I don't blame you. " he insisted.

Her eyes fell and her shoulders sagged, but she didn't argue any further.

" I just wanted to say thank you to both of you. " He smiled. " Are Mom and Dad here ? I thought I heard the doctor say something about my parents. "

Cappie nodded. " Yeah., I called them. They're outside waiting. "

" You two should go home. I'll be alright and you both look exhausted. " Rusty said, squeezing Casey's shoulders.

" No, " She looked up. " I want to stay. "

Rusty rolled his eyes and looked to Cappie for some help. " Take her home. "

Cappie chuckled quietly as he reached out to take Casey's hand. " Come on. You heard the man. He doesn't want you here. "

She resisted for a moment longer. " I don't want to leave you here. " she told Rusty.

" Mom and Dad are here. I'll be fine and I want you to go and get some sleep. Besides I need you to tell Jenn where I am and that I'll be fine. They said I'll probably be home later today. "

Finally she stood and hugged him before letting Cappie lead her her from the room.

" Take care of her, Man. " she heard Rusty call as they left the room.

" You know I will. " Cappie answered with a wave over his shoulder. " Take care of you. "

" I'll see you both later today. " He called out as the door shut.

As soon as the door was firmly closed behind them, Casey turned and fell into Cappie's arms, which were thankfully ready to catch her. She felt the tears welling in her eyes once again and wondered how it was possible to cry as much as she had in the last twenty four hours.

" He's fine. " Cappie told her, as he stroked her hair.

" I know. " she nodded into his chest.

He pulled back and looked into her tearful eyes. Then he brushed at the wetness on her cheek with his thumb. " So what, these are tears of joy ? "

She laughed and batted at his shoulders. " More like relief I think. I don't know what I'm feeling right now. "

He held her against him again, letting her take in the comfort of his body next to hers while the tears subsided once again. When she finally pulled away it was with a reluctant sigh and a slight smile. " I guess we should be getting home. " she glanced at her watch. " It's nearly five in the morning. "

" Is he okay ? " Her mother's voice called as she made her way quickly towards them.

" He's fine, Mrs. Cartwright. He told me to take Casey home to get some sleep. The doctor's said they should be releasing him later today. " Cappie answered, making it so that Casey didn't have to and she squeezed his hand in silent thanks.

Her mother regarded her carefully, looking at her with the same critical eye she always did and apparently wasn't happy with what she saw. " Casey, you look a mess. Have you slept at all tonight ? "

She nodded quietly. " No, I haven't. "

She reached out and patted Cappie on the shoulder, then she looked at him carefully. " Oh, my goodness. " she muttered.

" What ? " he asked, surprised by her reaction to him.

" I just haven't been paying attention, I guess. I was so caught up with Rusty being hurt. I'm sorry, Cappie. You just surprised me. " she replied a bit sheepishly.

Casey felt her face turning red as she suddenly understood what her mother was saying. " We were just heading home. "

" Why did I surprise you ? " Cappie asked, clearly confused.

" I just wasn't expecting you. " Her mother smiled sweetly. " I'm sorry, Honey. It's nice to see you again. "

" It's nice to see you, too. " he answered.

" Honey, " she looked at Casey then back to Cappie. " I'm really sorry. I guess I'm a little confused. What happened tonight ? It isn't like Rusty to fight and now I see you here with Cappie and... " she trailed off, unsure of how to ask what she wanted to ask.

" I broke up with Evan tonight and he started the fight. " Casey explained quickly.

Obviously the answer didn't help her confusion. " You broke up with Evan and he started a fight with Rusty ? " she asked, trying hard to understand.

" I left Evan and he came looking for me at the Kappa Tau house where Rusty was. " Casey tried again.

" And you were there seeing Rusty ? "

" No,. She was there to see me. " Cappie offered. " Evan was coming after me. Rusty got in the way. "

Her eyes suddenly registered understanding and she smiled at him warmly. " So you are back with us ? "

He nodded.

" That's wonderful, Dear. We have really missed you. " Then she turned back to Casey. " Now, you, young lady. Go home and get some sleep. You look terrible. We'll call if anything changes here. "

Casey answered with a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. " Thanks, Mom. I'll see you later. "

" I told you my parents really like you. " she turned and offered Cappie a small smile as they entered the parking lot.

" And I told you, I really like them. Although, I'm always a little unsure of your mother. She shifts gears so fast, it's hard to keep track, but your dad is great. " he answered, squeezing her hand as he opened the car door for her.

" Can we please go to sleep now ? " she whined, as he came around and got into the driver's seat.

" Yes, we can. " he started the car then looked at her with a bit of uncertainty. " Where am I taking you ? My place or are you going back to yours ? "

She smiled faintly. " Are you trying to get rid of me already ? "

He shook his head vehemently. " Never. I just want to know where you want to be. "

He pulled out of the parking lot and turned towards campus with little traffic to impend his way.

" I want to go to your house. " she adding a quick, " If that's okay . "

" Of course, it's okay. " he answered. " That's what I was hoping you would say, but after everything. I thought maybe you wanted to be on your own for a while. "

She reached over and rested her hand on his leg. " I want to be with you. " she assured him.

Early afternoon light drifted through the small window above the bed where Casey lay, blinking the sleep from her eyes and wondering for a moment where she was. She looked around and felt a warm , firm hand around her waist. The familiarity hit her suddenly and she nestled back against the warmth of the strong, solid body behind her.

As she moved, the arm around her tighten. " Good morning, beautiful. " Cappie's voice, heavy and gravelly with sleep said, over her shoulder, right before she felt his lips brush against her skin.

" I think it's more like afternoon, actually. " she smiled, wiggling around to face him.

" You keep wiggling like that and it will be good, no matter what time it is. " he teased as he kissed her gently.

She squirmed against him again and laughed, " You mean like this. "

HE grabbed her firmly and pulled her against him, " I have morning breath and I'm badly in need of a shower, are you sure you want to pursue this path that you've started. " he warned.

She kissed him again before wrinkling her nose and pulling away. " You're right. You do have morning breath. "

" How about breakfast, a shower and a call to your parents to check on Spitter. Then you can wiggle against me all you want. " he offered.

She jumped up, grabbed his shirt from the floor and headed for the door. " I'll get the food, you get the shower. Then we can both make the call together. " she replied. She turned and saw that he was still laying there, just watching her. " Get moving. " she demanded. " I want to get back to the wiggling as quickly as possible. "

She turned back to the door and started to pull it open before letting out a startled gasp as arms suddenly enfolded her. She was amazed that he could move that fast. One second he was still laying in bed the next he was beside her.

" Don't go out there. " he whispered, into her hair.

" What ? " she asked, pulling back and looking into his face. What she was there startled her even more. There was fear and sadness there and pain. " What is wrong with you ? "

" Reality is on the other side of that door. " he explained, quickly. " As long as we stay in here, we're safe and together and that's the way it'll stay. But if we leave reality takes over and we can't know that will happen. "

She smiled as she kissed him. " It's going to be okay. Nothing is going to happen out there. " she assured him. "Everything will be fine and we'll be back here in our safe place as soon as we can."

She almost laughed out loud at the seriousness of his expression.

" We don't really have to leave. We could just stay here. " he insisted in a whiny voice that did make her laugh.

" We can't just stay locked in here. We'll die of hunger or dehydration. We have to leave sooner or later."

" Promise we'll get back here as quickly as possible ? "

" I promise. But you really are beginning to stink and I'm kinda feeling not so fresh myself. For both our sakes, we have to leave. " she teased.

He raised his arm, sniffed towards his armpit and wrinkled his nose at the offensive smell. "You're right. We have no choice. "

" I told you. " she smiled as she opened the door and stepped cautiously out into the hallway, mocking him.

He smacked her backside and laughed at her antics before giving her a shove towards the stairs.

" Very funny, " he muttered before disappearing into the bathroom.

She made her way to the kitchen with a spring in her step and a smile on her face until she reached the bottom step and spotted the man standing in the doorway, talking with Beaver and Heath in low quiet voices.

She almost turned around and retreated back to her safe place, but he caught sight of her and called her name, making her stop.

" What do you want, Evan ? " she asked, taking the last of the stairs and coming to stand between the two men blocking his path.

" I want to talk to you. " he answered in a calm controlled voice. " That's all, just talk. I swear. I heard about Rusty. Is he okay ? "

She sighed and let her shoulders slump. " He's going to be okay. But I don't think we have anything to talk about, do you ? "

" Yes, I think we do. " his voice was pleading and insistent. " Please Casey. Just a few minutes. Then I won't bother you again. "

She considered him carefully, taking in his sunken eyes, that said he hadn't slept and his swollen nose, that thankfully didn't look broken. His hangdog expression and tired, pleading eyes were her undoing.

" I'll bet you and Cap are hungry, huh ? " Beaver announced. " Why don't Heath and I go to the kitchen, which is right here through this door and in perfect earshot, and let you talk. "

Casey smiled a silent thank you to him and he ushered Heath through the kitchen door.

Then he stuck his head back out quickly and smiled. " Casey, if you need anything at all, you just yell. I can be right back out here in a second. " His eyes, dark and threatening never left Evan's as he gave his masked warning.

" I will, Beaver. Thank you. " she answered.

" Wow, you have a whole army of protectors, huh ? " Evan chuckled uneasily.

" Yeah, I guess I do. " she agreed. " So what do you want ? "

" I was kind of hoping we could meet somewhere more private, on mutual ground and maybe try to work some stuff out. "

" We have nothing to work out, Evan. You hit my brother. You cheated on me. " She said, going down the list of his shortcomings, " Again. " she added quickly. " And then you stormed over here last night like I was the one that did something wrong. I really don't think we have anything left to say to each other. "

He reached for her and she nearly stumbled trying to get away from him. " Casey, Please. I don't want to end things like this. " he answered, taking another step closer. " I don't want to end things at all. "

She stared at him flabbergasted by his words. " How can you say that, after everything ? Did you really think you were going to come over here and talk me into taking you back ? Is that why you're here ? "

" I thought maybe if you knew how sorry I was about everything... " he trailed, as he reached for her yet again.

She backed away this time stepping to the other side of the room. " touch me again and I'll call Beaver and Heath to throw you out. " she warned.

" Casey, you don't want to do this. " he ignored her. " You know you love me and I love you. " He gestured around the messy room and her eyes followed his hands. Beer cans lay scattered from the previous nights party, along with various pieces of clothing and other bits of trash she didn't want to look too closely at. " This isn't what you want. You're worth more than this. "

HE stepped towards her again and she realized suddenly her mistake. He had her backed into a corner with nowhere to go, no place to escape to this time.

He reached for her and before she had a chance to scream for help, he pulled her to him and kissed her furiously.

" Cas, " she heard Cappie's voice coming down the stairs and struggled to break free of Evan, but he held her steady and she felt his smile against her lips as she heard Cappie enter the room.


	8. Chapter 8

Cappie in the doorway of the living room, his mouth hanging slack and his hands balled into fists at his sides. HE could feel his fingernails digging into the flesh of his palms.

He tried desperately to force words out of his mouth or even to move, but his body betrayed him, refusing to budge as he took in the site before him.

Evan had his back to him, holding Casey against him and kissing her, desperately, savagely. And from where he was standing it looked for all the world as if she were kissing him back, just as desperately. Just as savagely.

Cappie's mind went completely blank, rational thought wasn't possible. She had played him, used him for her revenge, got what she wanted and then went right back to Evan. He thought he knew her better, thought she wasn't capable of being so deceitful, so vicious. But the evidence of how wrong he had been was staring him right in the face.

He finally managed to talk his feet into moving. He could barely hear Casey calling to him over the roaring in his ears. He ignored her, not wanting to hear how sorry she was, or anything else she had to say for that matter, and made his way quickly back up the stairs. His feet moved of their own volition, carrying him away from the painful sight behind him, helping him to retreat into his sanctuary.

Once there, he shut the door and bolted the lock as fast as his trembling hands could manage.

How could she do this to him ? She said she loved him. The words rang over and over in his head, her voice full of sincerity. He could still feel her touching him, her fingers full of tenderness and passion.

He felt like such a fool. How could he have let her use him again ? He hadn't blamed her last time she got her revenge through him. After all, he knew full well what she was doing and why. He had planned it so that he was there to catch her then.

But this time, he told her, he couldn't do it again. He said he wasn't strong enough to go through her walking back into Evan's arms again and she hadn't cared. She used him anyway. Thinking of nothing but herself and what she wanted, not caring who she hurt in the process.

The one thing he had always held on to was that she had never intentionally hurt him. He hadn't imagined she was that kind of person, a person who could hurt others without a thought, step on whoever they needed to in order to get what they wanted. That wasn't the Casey he knew. Had the Zeta Beta's really changed her so much ? Had they managed to turn her into one of them, an unfeeling, uncaring harpy without a conscious ?

No, he shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts from his mind. That wasn't who Casey was. He knew her, probably better than anyone else ever had. She wasn't like them. She couldn't have changed that much in such a small amount of time.

It wasn't n her nature to use people so callously. But he had seen it with his own eyes. And it was an image he would never be able to erase from his mind. She was clinging to him, her nails digging into his shoulders, her body so tightly against him that they looked like one person.

His chest hurt and he realized distractedly that he was holding his breath, forgotten for a moment that breathing was important, like his whole body was shutting down from the shock.

He should have just listened to the voice in the back of his head that shouted at him early as he watched her dress. It told him that something like this was going to happen, warned him that once they left his bedroom his whole life was going to shatter.

Tears stung his eyes and he brushed at them roughly with back of his hand. She would not make him cry he determined. But his body betrayed him once again and he was helpless to stop the wetness on his cheek.

It had only been minutes before that he finally had everything he wanted again. Now it was gone in an instant.

How many nights had he spent laying in his bed, trying desperately to conjure her from his memories, Resurrect the past, return to a time when he had been completely happy ?

And for a few hours he had returned. He had foolishly let himself believe that it wouldn't end this time. He promised himself, as he lay there in the early morning hours, holding her again, to make sure she knew exactly what she meant to him. He never wanted her to think he didn't care again.

He stopped as his doorknob turned uselessly. Then the knocking started and her voice calling to him from the other side of the door.

He put his hands over his ears to try and black out the sound, keep her out of his head. But he quickly saw it was impossible and stalked to the door, throwing it opened and standing in the doorway, not inviting her inside. He would never invite her inside again.

" What do you want ? " he bit out harshly.

" Cappie, you can't think that I wanted Evan kissing me down there ? " she gasped.

His eyes raked over her face. " What game are you playing now, Casey ? "

" What ? " she demanded. " What are you talking about ?"

" You got what you were after. Go back to Evan and leave me alone. " He spat before attempting to close the door in her face.

She stopped him with her hand on his arm and he jerked away from her like her touched had burned him.

" Don't. " he warned. " You made your choice. Now you'll have to live with it. "

She shook her head. " I made my choice last night. " Her voice was pleading and tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. But he steeled himself against her, erecting a wall as strong as he could make it.

" This is over. It's done. " he told her. " You don't have to keep it up. It's fine. I understand. You got to have your playtime and now it's time to go back to the grown up world. "

" Cappie, please you know me better than that. I wouldn't use you like that. I would never hurt you. I love you. " she continued.

He watched her carefully, trying to keep up his resolve, wanting nothing more than to believe her and pull her back into his arms. " I know what I saw. " He said, quietly.

" No, " she replied, " You obviously don't. He backed me into a corner and grabbed me. I couldn't get away. "

" You didn't look like you were protesting too hard to me. "

She reached out and took his hand in hers. " You have to believe me. I was trying to get away from him. He wouldn't let me go. "

He chuckled sardonically and jerked his hand back. " I bet he was having a hard time letting you go, what with you clutching at his shoulders and all. "

He made to close the door once again.

" Is that what you really think was happening ? " she asked, her voice stunned and disbelieving. " You really think I used you to get back at him for Becca again and then I made up with him in your living room ? "

He nodded softly. " That isn't what I think. It's what I saw. "

" Fine, " she shrugged. " If you really think that little of me, then just let me get my things and I'll get out of your way. "

He hesitated only a moment before noticing that she was still only dressed in his shirt and he opened the door, allowing her inside. He watched in tormented silence as she went about collecting her things from around his room. He bit his tongue to keep from stopping her. It would be so easy to close the door and pretend like the last few minutes never happened. Go back to there sanctuary away from the world. But the image of her wrapped around Evan burned the back of his eyes as he tried to shut it out.

" Why ? " he asked, not even realizing he had actually spoke out loud until she turned around and looked at him.

" Why what ? " she asked, confused.

" Why did you have to go through all this trouble ? Telling me you loved me and making me think that you really had chosen me. " he explained. " I mean if you had just come to me and said, Hey Cappie, Evan had sex with Becca again and I need you to get my revenge, I probably would have gone right along. You didn't have to take this so far. "

She looked at him with sad, tortured eyes and he could tell she was struggling with something. " I can't believe that you think this was all some kind of game. I told you I loved you. I don't use those words casually. " she said finally. " How can you say you love me when you think that I could do something like this ? " She looked away and nodded mournfully before turning back to her task. " I was right all along, You don't love me. "

" What ? " he demanded. " How can you say that ? I wasn't the one with Evan. "

She turned back to him quickly. " You obviously don't even know me."

He stepped closer to her and regarded her with angry, cold eyes. " I know you better than anyone or at least I used to. You let them change you. You let them turn you into someone I don't even like, rather less love. "

She gasped at his words and he instantly regretted them as the tears started to flow again. Before he could stop her she was out the door, slamming it forcefully behind her.

" I can't believe he thinks I would do something like that to him. " Casey continued to rant as she took another drink from her glass, draining it completely.

Jenn took it from her and smiled indulgently. She had been sitting her with her for the last two hours wanting nothing more than to go home and check on Rusty. But she couldn't leave her like she was and she hadn't been able to convince her to leave. " I'm sure he was just hurt and angry and wasn't thinking." She filled the glass from the half empty bottle of whiskey that Casey had ordered the waitress to leave and handed it back to her.

Casey accepted it and took another long drink. " It doesn't matter. " she muttered. " I knew this wouldn't work. Here we are less than twenty four hours later and we're at each others throats again. How can we have a relationship like that ? It's all just so impossible. "

The small crowded bar was starting to fill up as the usual crowd began to shuffle through and Jenn glanced around, looking for anyone that might recognize them. For a Monday night, the place was really starting to get packed and she dreaded anyone that knew Casey seeing her like she was. Her make up was long since gone. Her eyes, red swollen from a barge of tears that hadn't stopped since Jenn found her the day before sitting on the front steps of the ZBZ house

" Casey, " she reached for the glass in the older girl's hand and tried to grab it, but Casey dodged her with surprising swiftness given her state and drained it once again. " I think maybe you've had enough. We should be getting back before someone we know comes in. "

Casey laughed out loud and swayed in her chair. " I don't care anymore. I don't care who see me and I don't care what they think. " She leaned forward, looking at Jenn blurringly. " I'm done trying to be something I'm not. At least he helped me figure that out. I finished. This is who I really am. " She gave another sharp, high pitched laugh. " I'm a mess. " Then she leaned closer still and lowered her voice to a whisper. " You wanna know a secret ? "  
Jenn smiled at her patiently. " Sure, Casey. What's you're secret ? "

" I've been a mess since I left him last time. I just figured out how to hide it really well. No one knows. " She put her finger to her lips. " So don't tell, okay ? "

Jenn nodded solemnly. " I won't tell anyone. I promise. You're secret is safe with me. "

" You're a really good person, Jenn. " Casey slurred, leaning against her. " Don't let them change you. They'll try, you know. "

" Who will try ? "

" The ZBZ's. " Casey answered. " Frannie and her followers. All the little bitches who only care about themselves. "

" Casey, Sweetie. They are you're friends. You're sisters. They care about you. " Jenn assured her.

She nodded against her shoulder, causing Jenn to wince as her head dug into her collarbone. " No, they don't care. They only care about what they want. If it wasn't for them, none of this would have happened. "

" What wouldn't have happened ? " Jenn asked, confused now.

" I wouldn't have broken up with Cappie. I wouldn't have started dating that asshole. None if it would have happ..happp... happened. " The slurring was getting worse and Jenn was starting to have trouble understanding her words. She nudged her a bit, sitting her upright in her own chair and looked at her.

" You broke up with Cappie because of the sisters ? " she asked, trying to keep her taking instead of having her pass out.

" Yeah, Frannie thought I could do better. There was a big meeting and everyone agreed I should break up with him. " she explained.

" So, it was just like what we did to Ashleigh ? "

Casey stopped swaying and looked her, her bloodshot eyes scanning her face. " Yeah, " she whispered finally. " No wonder she's so pissed at me. "

Jenn nodded knowingly. " Maybe you should talk to her tomorrow. "

Casey tried to stand. " No, I should talk to her tonight. "

Jenn grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. " No, I think maybe tonight you should go to bed. It can wait till morning. "

Casey stopped and Jenn watched as she started crying again. " I don't have anywhere to go. " she whispered quietly.

" What ? Of course you do. Let me take you back to the house and get you tucked into bed. " Jenn said, draping Casey's arm around her shoulder so she could steady her as she tried to walk.

" I don't wanna go back to the house. Becca is there and Frannie. I don't want them to see me like this." Casey protested, refusing to budge.

" But we need to get you to bed and I don't know where else to take you. " Jenn sighed, pulling at her, trying to urge her forward.

" I'll take her, if she'll let me. " A voice said from behind her. Jenn spun as best she could while still supporting Casey.

" Cappie. " she sighed in relief. " I don't know what to do with her. She doesn't want to go home and I have no where else to take her. "

He smiled at her softly. Then he went to Casey's side and put her arm around his shoulder. " Casey, " he said, bending to get her attention. She still hadn't noticed he was there, completely lost in her drunken stupor. " Do you want to come to my place ? "

Casey smiled and draped her arms around his neck, causing Jenn to stumble as she lifted her weight from her. " Cappie, what are you doing here ? "

" I'm here to take you home. Is that okay ? " he asked, again.

She kissed him sloppily then just as quickly the smile dropped and she pushed at him feebly. " I thought you were mad at me. " she slurred. " I'm mad at you for being mad at me. "

He laughed. " That sounds like there's a lot of mad going around. How about we don't worry about all that right now and just get you to bed. We can talk about it all in the morning. "

She pulled away again, more successfully this time and managed to stay upright on her own. " You said you didn't even like me. I don't want to go home with you. "

He took her arm again and put it around his shoulder. " You know I didn't mean it. Now let's go home and sleep it off. "

" I have to go to the bathroom first. " she announced.

Jenn stepped up to take her arm. " I'll take her. "

" No, " she snatched away from her. " I can make it. "

" I don't mind, Casey. We can talk about Cappie some more. " Jenn coaxed.

Casey shook her head. " Shh, " she hushed her. " He's standing right there. " Jenn tried her best to suppress a smile as she watched her stumble a bit but quickly regain her balanced. "No, I'm good. I'll be right back. " She started to walk away then stopped and turned back to them. " If I'm not back in five minutes, send the navy. " she laughed, then turned and stumbled away.

" Maybe I should follow her. " Jenn said anxiously.

" I think she's okay. I've seen her worse. " he laughed quietly.

" So how did you just happen along like that ? "

" Well, I talked to Beaver and he told me he was listening the whole time and Casey was fighting Evan off and I've been looking for her since. No one knew where she went. "

" I told Becca. I guess she didn't feel like sharing. " Jenn smiled. " I really really don't like that girl. "

Cappie laughed, " She's okay, if you're into that vicious, slut, bitchy thing. "

Jenn laughed with him. " Have you heard from Rusty ? Is he okay ? "

" I personally tucked him into the couch at the house and he is fine. Although his eye is swollen completely shut now and he says his head is killing him. "

She let out a sigh of relief. " I have been trying to get back home all night so I could check on him, but I couldn't just leave her like that. "

" Thank you for watching out for her. " he said, suddenly serious. " I'm sorry to have caused all this. "

" Please, " she waved him away. " I would have been angry too. "

" Oh, come on. " he teased. " You angry ? I just can't imagine that. "

She laughed and batted at him. " I get angry sometimes. I'm not always this nice. "

Casey reappeared, stumbling slightly but still upright and smiled at both of them as she sat down once again. " I made it. And I didn't even fall once. "

Cappie chuckled at her as he took her arm and let her lean against him. " See, That's my girl. I knew you could do it. "

Jenn laughed at them as they started away and Cappie through another thanks over his shoulder at her.

" She's so nice. She kept filling up my glass every time it got empty. " Casey said in a sing song voice as they started across the parking lot. " She better be nice to my brother though. I'd hate to have to kick her ass. "

Cappie laughed. " I'd hate for you to have to kick her ass. Like you said, she is a really nice girl, after all. "

She stopped him as he turned away from her after leaning her against his car. Her arms came around his neck and stepped closer to her. " I'm really, really, really sorry about yesterday. " she whispered against his neck. " Please don't be mad at me anymore and please don't not like me anymore. "

He let out a quiet chuckled and pulled her closer to him. " I'm not mad anymore. I know what happened and I'm sorry I didn't believe you. " He told her sincerely although he knew she wouldn't remember a bit of what he said tomorrow.

" You were really mean to me. " she pouted, her bottom lip sticking out just slightly and it took all his self control not to take it in his mouth.

" I know and I'm sorry. I should have trusted you. " he said instead.

She pushed at his shoulder and puffed out her chest. " Yes, you should have. Now I remember why I was mad at you. "

He bowed his head and took her hand in his. " You have every right to be mad. I'm really, really, really sorry, too. But can we talk about this tomorrow. "

She pulled him to her and kissed him softly, her breath tasted of whiskey and he let himself sink it the sensation of having her in his arms once again for a moment before pulling away, determined not to take advantage of her in her current state.

" Take me home, please. " she said finally. " I'm not feeling so good. "

" I'll bet you aren't. " he agreed. " Did you have help with that back there or was that all you ? "

She poked her chest out again, proudly this time. " Nope. It was all me, and I'm still standing. " Then she wavered and sat back against the car, looking sheepish. " Mostly. " she added.

" You're doing fine. Great, in fact. " He assured, helping her into the car.

He came around and jumped into the driver's seat.

" Is my little brother okay ? I haven't heard anything from him since he got home yesterday. " she asked, once they were on there way.

" He's good. He was asleep on the couch at the house last I saw him. His eye is pretty terrible, but other than that, he's fine. "

She nodded and leaned her head back against the seat rest, closing her eyes.

Cappie scooped her out of the seat as carefully as he could and hefted her into his arms, trying to keep from waking her. He walked softly up the steps, aware that every step was likely to jar her from her sleep.

Once inside, he managed to navigate the stairs with relative ease, only having a slight problem when he reached his door. After fumbling for a few moments, he got it opened and carrying her to the bed, laying her as gently in her place and brushed a wayward strand of hair from her eyes. He looked down at her and was surprised to see her looking back at him.

" I thought you were out for the count. " he smiled softly.

" I need to get up. " She tried to sit up but he held her down with a hand on her shoulder. Still she struggled against him. Until she managed a sitting position.

" Casey, Honey. Just lay down. " he argued.

" No, " she insisted. " I'm going to be sick. "

" Oh, " He yelped and helped her as quickly as possible to the bathroom, holding back her hair as she emptied the contents of her stomach.

When she was finally done, he handed her a wet wash cloth and a glass of water.

She used both before looking up at him with shame filled eyes. " I'm sorry. " she said, finally, her throat raw sounding and hoarse.

He dropped to the bathroom floor beside her and smiled. " It's okay. This is the Kappa Tau house. I promise you aren't the first person to puke here and you certainly won't be the last. "

She smiled feebly at his attempt at a joke and shook her head. " I'm sorry for all of this. I shouldn't have let him trap me like that. It was stupid. "

His face fell instantly and he pulled her to him. " You have nothing to be sorry about. " he told her firmly. " I'm the one that acted like an ass. I should have believed in you and threw his sorry ass out as soon as I saw him. "

" Is this how it's going to be now ? " she asked after a moment or two of silence. " Are you ever going to be able to trust that I'm not going back to him ? "

He drew back from her and regarded her carefully trying to answer her as truthfully as he could. " I hope I can. " He said finally.

She struggled into a standing position and he joined her, letting her lean on him as they walked back to his room.

" You hope you can trust me ? " she asked, solemnly. " That isn't very reassuring. "

She sat on the side of his bed, her legs crossed Indian style as she looked at him with suddenly very sober seeming eyes.

He shrugged and came to sit beside her. " It's the most honest answer I have. I don't want to lie and say that I will never doubt you again. I can't promise that. I just get stupidly, insanely jealous when it comes to you. "

She nodded and took a deep breath. " You do believe that I love you, though ? You know I wasn't using you to get back at him or anything like that ? "

He moved closer to her and took her hand. " I know you weren't playing games with me. It's just hard for me to believe that you love me. "

She looked at him questioningly. " Why is that so hard to believe ? "

It was his turn to take a deep breath and he looked to the ceiling for inspiration. When none came, he decided to try to push forward as best he could, finding it very difficult to explain exactly how he was feeling. " It's like I still can't believe you're really here. Like any minute I think I'm going to look up and you won't be there. Or I'm going to wake up and find you gone. "

She put her hand on the side of his face, stroking his skin softly. " So what are we going to do about this ? How am I going to convince you that I really am here and I don't want to be anywhere else ? "

He took her hand and kissed it. " I don't know. Maybe I just need some time. "

" Maybe, you just need to believe me. " she answered firmly. " I have never lied to you. Through everything that we've been through, I have never mislead you or told you anything that wasn't honest. I think I deserve your trust. "

He stood and started to pace again. " It isn't that I don't trust you. " he said, pulling his hands through his hair. " It's just so hard to believe that you choose me. " He gestured around the room animatedly. "That you choose this. " He came back to sit beside her and took hold of her hands. " It's like winning the lottery, or having everything you ever wanted just dropped in your lap. I guess I'm a bit shell shocked."

Her smile was warm and full of love when she leaned in to kiss him again. " I was such an idiot for leaving you. "

" Yeah, you were. " he agreed. He looked at her questioningly, suddenly, as a thought occurred to him.

" Why did you leave last time ? I mean., I thought everything was fine and then one day you just showed up and said you didn't want to see me anymore. It was kind of out of the blue. "

She looked down at her hands entwined with his and closed her eyes for a moment. " I left because I left the ZBZ's turn me into a sheep. " She answered enigmatically.

" What ? " He pulled her eyes back up to his and looked at her critically.

" They wanted me to leave. Said I could do better and I let them lead me around, playing with me like some warped Barbie Doll. I followed them, blindly obeying every order they issued. "

HE inclined his head towards her and sat back. " You left me because they told you too ? "

She nodded.

He got up and moved away from her abruptly. " You left me because Frannie thought you could do better ? "

Casey's look was surprised as she stared at him. " I know it was stupid. I shouldn't have listened to them. " she offered weakly.

" You're damn right it was stupid. " He agreed without hesitating. " All this time I thought you left because I never told you how I really felt. I thought I'd done something wrong or not done enough. "

He was ranting and he knew it, but he couldn't stop himself. " I've spent the last year tormenting myself. Driving myself crazy trying to figure out what I did, how I could have done things better, how I could have kept you from leaving. "

She came to where he was standing in the middle of the room and tried to stop him with a hand on his shoulder. " I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have let them tell me what to do. You didn't do anything. Coming here that day was one of the hardest things I've ever done. "

He looked down at her. " Well, I'm glad to know it wasn't easy for you. " he spat suddenly angry.

" Please don't be mad. " she pleaded. " It's over. It was a long time ago. I know I messed up but I'm here now. "

" Until when ? The next time they decide you shouldn't be ? " he demanded, stepping away from her.

" No, " she nodded quickly. " I'm leaving the ZBZ's. You are what I want and if they want me to chose between them and you, then I chose you. "

He stared at her in disbelief. " You're going to leave ? " he asked finally, still stunned by her declaration.

" Yeah, I'm leaving. I don't them running my life anymore. You were right. This is college. Life shouldn't be this hard yet and I realized they are what is making my life so complicated. " She took a deep breath and let it out in a gush of air. " So I'm done. It's time for me to be my own person and make my own decisions. "

" I'm going to let you leave your sorority because of me. I can't ask you to do that. I know how important they are to you. " he told her.

She came to him, put her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. " They aren't as important to me as you are. "

" Wow, " he sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around her waist. " I can't believe you would do that for me. "

She drew back and looked at him, reaching up to brush the hair out of his eyes. " I love you and I'm done pretending that I don't. "

She kissed him suddenly and he let himself sag against her, drawing her in like air. " You really are serious. You do love me. " He said as when they finally broke apart.

" I really do. I never stopped. " she confirmed with a nod.

" I love you, too. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. " He guided her towards the bed and sat her down, before sitting beside her. " I should have told you the first time I saw you. I knew it then. "

" Freshman year was the best time of my life. " she answered.

He pulled her to him, kissing her again. " Let's make junior year just as good. "

She melted into him and him tightly against her. " No, let's make it better. "

He smiled down at her before kissing her once again, happier than he could ever remember being.


	9. Chapter 9

Authors Note

Okay, for everyone I invited to my new yahoo Greek group, I didn't put the link in right, I forgot the last backslash. So the address is correct on my profile under my homepage. For some reason it won't let me type it correctly in this message. So you have to go there to find it, or if you need me to send it to you in a PM- just drop me a line and I'll be happy to hook you up.

For everyone I haven't had a chance to invite, I would love for you to pop over and join up.  
I'm planning on doing a weekly topic about the week's episode. A recap for anyone that might have missed it, plus the URL where you can catch it. Plus a teaser for the up coming episode, News and website address for everything Greek, pics of the cast, etc., etc., etc. Even a place to post your fan fictions.

So come on over and join us. You know you want to. How can you resist this much Greek !


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